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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 116 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: rush · bay · cue · kid · bowl · staff · snap · band

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. kid — to tease
  6. kid — child
  7. band — a ring
  8. cue — a hint
  9. rush — hurry
  10. cue — a signal
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. band — a music group
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. snap — to click
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — a stick
  20. cue — for pool
  21. staff — employees
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. bowl — a football final

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