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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  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. cue — a signal
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. charge — electricity
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. cue — for pool
  11. kid — to tease
  12. chair — a leader
  13. charge — in control
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. kid — child
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. charge — a price
  19. content — the amount
  20. content — happy
  21. date — the fruit
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. mouse — the animal
  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