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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cue — a signal
  3. kid — child
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. club — a group
  8. club — for dancing
  9. content — the amount
  10. club — for golf
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. cue — for pool
  15. kid — to tease
  16. content — happy
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. sharp — clever
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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