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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: pitch · mouse · cue · kid · hand · fork · rule · last

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. hand — help
  3. cue — a hint
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. cue — a signal
  7. cue — for pool
  8. rule — government
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. rule — a law
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. pitch — completely
  17. fork — in a road
  18. last — finally
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. kid — to tease
  21. last — to go on
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. kid — child
  24. last — final

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