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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: mine · racket · kid · hand · nail · kick · cue · face

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. kid — to tease
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. hand — in cards
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — for digging
  11. hand — help
  12. face — part of the head
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. cue — a hint
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. face — to confront
  18. kid — child
  19. face — to point toward
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cue — for pool
  24. kick — in football

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