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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 · bowl · chip · drill · lash · fine · kid · root

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. kid — to tease
  3. fine — all right
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. chip — to eat
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. chip — for betting
  8. root — the cause
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. kid — child
  11. cue — a signal
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. cue — for pool
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. root — of a plant
  17. cue — a hint
  18. drill — army training
  19. fine — high quality
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. root — of a word
  24. drill — a practice

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