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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  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. wind — to turn a key
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. kid — to tease
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. band — a music group
  6. present — there
  7. pound — a weight
  8. wind — moving air
  9. cue — for pool
  10. hand — in cards
  11. drill — the tool
  12. present — the time now
  13. hand — help
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. wind — moving air
  16. present — a gift
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. drill — a practice
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. cue — a signal
  21. kid — child
  22. band — a ring
  23. drill — army training
  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