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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. fine — high quality
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. cue — a hint
  9. pound — a weight
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fine — all right
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. cue — for pool
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. cue — a signal
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — finally
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. last — final
  23. kid — to tease
  24. branch — a division

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