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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. squash — the sport
  6. squash — to crush
  7. charge — electricity
  8. kid — child
  9. last — final
  10. charge — a price
  11. last — finally
  12. bass — low music
  13. last — to go on
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. degree — an amount
  16. charge — in control
  17. cue — a signal
  18. bass — the fish
  19. degree — from a university
  20. degree — temperature
  21. cue — for pool
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. kid — to tease
  24. squash — the vegetable

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