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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: hand · pitcher · squash · cabinet · bear · chair · rash · cue

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. bear — the animal
  3. rash — a series
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. cue — a signal
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. rash — hasty
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. cue — for pool
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. bear — the animal
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. squash — the sport
  17. squash — to crush
  18. hand — in cards
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. hand — help
  22. chair — a leader
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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