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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. cue — a signal
  4. pit — a hole
  5. band — a ring
  6. band — a music group
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. pit — in a race
  9. bat — the animal
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. board — a committee
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cue — for pool
  17. board — to get on
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. kid — child
  22. deal — to handle
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. bat — for baseball

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com