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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 120 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: tube · cue · calf · kid · hide · bound · game · cabinet

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bound — certain
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — to tease
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bound — tied together
  8. game — wild animals
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. kid — child
  11. cue — for pool
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — a match
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. tube — a container
  19. cue — a signal
  20. tube — the underground
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. bound — obliged
  24. calf — a young animal

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