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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: row · kid · mug · scale · cue · field · bore · stick

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. mug — to rob
  3. scale — in music
  4. cue — a hint
  5. mug — a cup
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. field — a subject
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. mug — a face
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. row — to paddle
  12. kid — child
  13. scale — size or range
  14. row — a line
  15. bore — to drill
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. field — farmland
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. cue — a signal
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bore — to tire
  22. cue — for pool
  23. field — for sport
  24. kid — to tease

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