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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: tear · cue · deal · club · band · content · mouse · kick

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. band — a ring
  6. cue — for pool
  7. band — a music group
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. cue — a hint
  10. tear — from crying
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. club — for golf
  14. cue — a signal
  15. deal — to handle
  16. club — a group
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. tear — to rip
  20. club — for dancing
  21. content — happy
  22. kick — in football
  23. content — the amount
  24. tear — from crying

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