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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: kid · bore · mark · wind · safe · chair · rush · cue

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. wind — moving air
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. cue — for pool
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. kid — child
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. cue — a hint
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. mark — a grade
  14. wind — moving air
  15. chair — a leader
  16. bore — to tire
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bore — to drill
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. rush — hurry
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. mark — a trace

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