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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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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: wind · date · ruler · board · chip · cue · kid · bear

  1. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. cue — for pool
  3. bear — the animal
  4. chip — to eat
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. bear — the animal
  7. kid — to tease
  8. board — a committee
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. board — to get on
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. cue — a signal
  15. wind — moving air
  16. date — the fruit
  17. kid — child
  18. wind — moving air
  19. cue — a hint
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. chip — for betting
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. date — on the calendar

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