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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. shower — rain
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. kid — child
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. squash — the sport
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. shower — to wash
  14. cue — for pool
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. kick — in football
  17. kid — to tease
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cue — a hint
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. chair — a leader

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