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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: rock · file · kid · pound · pop · cue · bat · suit

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. file — a document
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. suit — to fit
  6. rock — music
  7. pop — soda
  8. bat — the animal
  9. suit — clothes
  10. suit — in cards
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. pop — music
  14. kid — child
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. kid — to tease
  17. cue — for pool
  18. file — a tool
  19. file — a line of people
  20. rock — a stone
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. cue — a signal
  24. pop — to visit

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