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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: racket · chip · last · cue · kid · deal · mate · band

  1. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. band — a music group
  3. mate — a partner
  4. last — final
  5. mate — to breed
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. mate — a friend
  8. deal — to handle
  9. cue — for pool
  10. chip — to eat
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. cue — a signal
  14. band — a ring
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. kid — to tease
  17. last — finally
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. kid — child
  21. cue — a hint
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. last — to go on

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