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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: squash · cue · bound · kid · calf · march · pitch · cabinet

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. cue — a signal
  3. march — music
  4. bound — certain
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. squash — the sport
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bound — obliged
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. march — the month
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. bound — tied together
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. pitch — completely
  18. march — the month
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. cue — for pool
  22. kid — child
  23. squash — to crush
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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