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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cue · hide · kid · bass · field · chip

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. field — farmland
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. cue — for pool
  6. field — a subject
  7. kid — to tease
  8. chip — for betting
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. cue — a signal
  11. kid — child
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. bass — the fish
  14. field — for sport
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. bass — low music
  18. 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