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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: rash · bore · cue · pit · row · band · court · hand

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. cue — a hint
  3. band — a music group
  4. pit — in a race
  5. hand — in cards
  6. cue — a signal
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bore — to drill
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. band — a ring
  11. pit — a hole
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. cue — for pool
  14. court — for sport
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. hand — help
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. rash — a series
  20. row — a line
  21. row — to paddle
  22. court — of law
  23. court — of a king
  24. rash — hasty

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