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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: perch · kick · kid · deal · root · drill · cue · pass

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. kid — to tease
  3. pass — a permit
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. cue — a hint
  6. drill — the tool
  7. root — of a word
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. root — the cause
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. cue — for pool
  13. deal — to handle
  14. perch — the fish
  15. root — of a plant
  16. drill — a practice
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. drill — army training
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. kid — child
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. kick — in football
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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