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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 · fork · kick · drill · club · chest

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. cue — for pool
  3. kick — in football
  4. drill — the tool
  5. club — a group
  6. drill — army training
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. drill — a practice
  10. chest — of your body
  11. fork — in a road
  12. chest — of your body
  13. cue — a signal
  14. club — for golf
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. chest — a box
  17. cue — a hint
  18. kick — with a leg

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