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

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. tube — a container
  3. mug — a cup
  4. cue — a signal
  5. firm — a company
  6. cue — a hint
  7. band — a music group
  8. spring — a coil
  9. band — a ring
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. degree — temperature
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. mine — for digging
  14. cue — for pool
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. tube — the underground
  17. firm — decided
  18. degree — an amount
  19. mug — a face
  20. spring — of water
  21. firm — steady
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. degree — from a university
  24. spring — the season

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