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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: wind · mug · wake · mouse · march · kid · cue · pitch

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. kid — child
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. march — the month
  6. pitch — completely
  7. cue — a hint
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. march — music
  10. kid — to tease
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. mug — a face
  15. wake — a trail
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. wind — moving air
  18. march — the month
  19. cue — for pool
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mug — to rob
  24. cue — a signal

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