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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. cap — a lid
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. pop — soda
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. cap — of ice
  7. pop — to visit
  8. band — a ring
  9. kid — to tease
  10. cue — a signal
  11. scale — in music
  12. stock — shares
  13. band — a music group
  14. scale — size or range
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. cue — for pool
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. pop — music
  19. stock — goods
  20. kid — child
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cue — a hint

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