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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: mouse · tube · cue · hand · march · roll · squash · kick

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. cue — a hint
  4. tube — the underground
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — help
  7. roll — a cake
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cue — for pool
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. march — music
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. tube — a container
  16. hand — in cards
  17. kick — in football
  18. march — the month
  19. squash — to crush
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. squash — the sport
  23. roll — a list
  24. march — the month

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