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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. date — the fruit
  3. chair — a leader
  4. march — the month
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cue — a signal
  7. tube — a container
  8. dip — to sink
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. cue — for pool
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. march — music
  14. march — the month
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. roll — a list
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. roll — a cake
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bowl — to roll

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