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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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Word bank
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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: cell · cue · arm · kick · craft · kid

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. cue — a signal
  3. kick — in football
  4. cue — a hint
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. cue — for pool
  8. craft — boats
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. cell — a phone
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cell — in biology
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. craft — a skill
  17. kid — to tease
  18. arm — part of the body

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