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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: present · wound · ball · bass · tube · rash · kick · cue

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. tube — a container
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ball — a great time
  6. rash — a series
  7. present — there
  8. present — a gift
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. cue — a signal
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. bass — low music
  16. present — the time now
  17. cue — for pool
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bass — the fish
  21. wound — an injury
  22. rash — hasty
  23. tube — the underground
  24. kick — in football

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