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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: ball · cue · rush · dip · pitcher · bark · mug · kid

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. cue — a hint
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. rush — hurry
  5. ball — a great time
  6. bark — to shout
  7. cue — a signal
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. kid — child
  14. cue — for pool
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. dip — to sink
  19. kid — to tease
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mug — a face
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a round shape

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