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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: cue · ground · suit · track · squash · pitcher · wind · kid

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. ground — a position
  3. squash — to crush
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. track — a song
  6. cue — a signal
  7. track — a path
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wind — moving air
  10. ground — crushed
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. kid — child
  13. suit — to fit
  14. wind — moving air
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. suit — in cards
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. suit — clothes
  19. squash — the sport
  20. cue — for pool
  21. kid — to tease
  22. track — to keep track
  23. cue — a hint
  24. ground — the earth

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