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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: mine · press · cue · shower · kid · calf · row · pitcher

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — for digging
  4. shower — rain
  5. cue — a hint
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. row — a line
  9. press — newspapers
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. kid — to tease
  12. shower — to wash
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. row — to paddle
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. cue — for pool
  20. press — to push
  21. cue — a signal
  22. kid — child
  23. press — a publisher
  24. pitcher — a jug

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