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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. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. race — humankind
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. cue — for pool
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. date — the fruit
  8. race — the arms race
  9. rush — hurry
  10. kid — child
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bore — to drill
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. cue — a hint
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. kid — to tease
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. race — a contest
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bore — to tire
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. rush — a thrill

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