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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.

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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: pitcher · can · kid · calf · race · racket · bay · cue

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. cue — for pool
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. can — a tin
  7. race — humankind
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. cue — a hint
  11. can — to be able to
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. cue — a signal
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. race — the arms race
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. race — a contest
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. can — a tin
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. kid — child
  24. calf — of the leg

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