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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 120 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: cue · rush · staff · wound · kick · cold · racket · squash

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cue — for pool
  4. staff — employees
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. cold — not warm
  7. squash — to crush
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. staff — employees
  11. cold — an illness
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. wound — an injury
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. cue — a hint
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. cue — a signal
  19. squash — the sport
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. rush — hurry
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. staff — a stick
  24. cold — the Cold War

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