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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. cue — a signal
  3. swing — in golf
  4. kid — child
  5. mark — a grade
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. kid — to tease
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. swing — to play on
  10. tube — the underground
  11. chest — of your body
  12. swing — music
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. cue — for pool
  15. cue — a hint
  16. saw — the tool
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. tube — a container
  23. chest — a box
  24. chest — of your body

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