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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: pound · hide · bay · degree · stick · kid · can · cue

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  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. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. can — to be able to
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. degree — temperature
  7. kid — to tease
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pound — a weight
  10. kid — child
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. cue — a signal
  13. degree — from a university
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. degree — an amount
  17. can — a tin
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. cue — a hint
  23. can — a tin
  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