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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 116 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: cue · bat · suit · ruler · kid · can · last · field

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. last — final
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. bat — the animal
  5. suit — in cards
  6. kid — child
  7. suit — to fit
  8. cue — a signal
  9. cue — for pool
  10. cue — a hint
  11. field — for sport
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. last — to go on
  15. field — a subject
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. suit — clothes
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. field — farmland
  23. last — finally
  24. kid — to tease

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