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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: cue · rock · rule · shower · kid · squash · track · foot

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. foot — a measure
  4. track — to keep track
  5. track — a path
  6. kid — to tease
  7. squash — the sport
  8. rock — music
  9. cue — a signal
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rule — government
  12. shower — rain
  13. kid — child
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. track — a song
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. squash — to crush
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. rule — a law
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. cue — a hint
  24. cue — for pool

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