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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: kick · mine · perch · squash · hand · drill · band · cue

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. cue — a hint
  3. hand — help
  4. cue — a signal
  5. perch — the fish
  6. drill — army training
  7. squash — to crush
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. drill — the tool
  10. cue — for pool
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. squash — the sport
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. kick — in football
  20. mine — for digging
  21. drill — a practice
  22. band — a ring
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. band — a music group

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