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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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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: shower · kid · board · cue · last · mine · racket · ball

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. last — to go on
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. kid — child
  7. ball — a great time
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. kid — to tease
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. last — final
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. shower — rain
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. cue — a signal
  16. board — to get on
  17. last — finally
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. cue — a hint
  20. ball — a dance
  21. shower — to wash
  22. mine — for digging
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. board — a committee

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