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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · mine · chip · hide · drill · roll · racket · mouse

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. cue — a hint
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. cue — a signal
  6. chip — to eat
  7. roll — a list
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. drill — a practice
  12. roll — a cake
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. chip — for betting
  18. drill — army training
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. cue — for pool
  24. drill — the tool

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