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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 116 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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  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. bat — for baseball
  2. cue — a signal
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. kid — child
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. season — of the year
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. kick — in football
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. fine — high quality
  13. pound — a weight
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. bat — the animal
  16. cue — for pool
  17. fine — all right
  18. season — in sport
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. stem — to come from
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. kid — to tease
  23. stem — of a plant
  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