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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 124 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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. cue — a signal
  3. chest — of your body
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. cue — a hint
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. chest — of your body
  8. file — a tool
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. file — a document
  12. cue — for pool
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. kid — to tease
  15. file — a line of people
  16. bank — for money
  17. board — a committee
  18. board — to get on
  19. bank — of a river
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. snap — to click
  22. chest — a box
  23. bank — for money
  24. kid — child

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