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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: deal · ruler · tube · wind · kick · cue · current · season

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. cue — a hint
  5. current — of water
  6. season — of the year
  7. current — happening now
  8. tube — a container
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. wind — moving air
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. current — electric
  16. kick — in football
  17. tube — the underground
  18. cue — for pool
  19. deal — to handle
  20. season — in sport
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. wind — moving air
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. cue — a signal

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