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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: chip · kid · temple · sharp · scale · cue · can · field

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. kid — to tease
  3. can — to be able to
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. chip — for betting
  6. chip — to eat
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. cue — for pool
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. scale — in music
  15. field — a subject
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. scale — size or range
  18. kid — child
  19. can — a tin
  20. sharp — clever
  21. field — farmland
  22. can — a tin
  23. field — for sport
  24. cue — a hint

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