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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: bore · ruler · wind · kid · cue · pound · racket · cap

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — moving air
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. bore — to tire
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. cap — a lid
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. cue — for pool
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. cue — a hint
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. kid — child
  16. cue — a signal
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. bore — to drill
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. cap — of ice
  21. pound — a weight
  22. kid — to tease
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. cap — a hat

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