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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: cold · pit · pop · sharp · bank · deal · cue · kid

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. kid — child
  3. pop — to visit
  4. cold — an illness
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. cold — not warm
  10. pop — soda
  11. deal — to handle
  12. pop — music
  13. cue — a hint
  14. bank — for money
  15. pit — in a race
  16. sharp — clever
  17. bank — for money
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. bank — of a river
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. kid — to tease
  23. cue — a signal
  24. sharp — with an edge

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