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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 116 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: band · kid · drill · tube · cue · cell · racket · charge

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  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. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. tube — the underground
  3. cue — a signal
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. drill — a practice
  8. band — a music group
  9. charge — a price
  10. charge — electricity
  11. kid — child
  12. cue — a hint
  13. band — a ring
  14. drill — the tool
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cell — a phone
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. tube — a container
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. drill — army training
  21. cell — in biology
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. charge — in control
  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