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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 116 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: land · pit · hand · firm · kid · cue · rash · mouse

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. firm — decided
  3. cue — for pool
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. pit — a hole
  6. firm — steady
  7. pit — in a race
  8. land — ground
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. cue — a hint
  11. hand — help
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. firm — a company
  14. cue — a signal
  15. kid — to tease
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. land — a country
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. kid — child
  21. hand — in cards
  22. land — to come down
  23. rash — hasty
  24. rash — a series

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