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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: kid · band · ruler · clip · coach · cue · rash · kick

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. rash — hasty
  3. kick — in football
  4. rash — a series
  5. clip — a video
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. cue — for pool
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. kid — child
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. band — a ring
  17. clip — to cut
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. clip — for paper
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. cue — a hint
  22. cue — a signal
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. band — a music group

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