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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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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 · last · tear · arm · track · cue · staff · bay

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. cue — a signal
  3. cue — a hint
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. last — finally
  6. tear — from crying
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. kid — child
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — a stick
  11. track — a song
  12. last — to go on
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. track — a path
  15. track — to keep track
  16. last — final
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. tear — to rip
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. tear — from crying
  23. cue — for pool
  24. staff — employees

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