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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 116 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  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. hand — part of the body
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mug — a face
  5. mug — a cup
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. tube — a container
  8. mug — to rob
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. tube — the underground
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. cue — a hint
  14. hand — help
  15. cue — for pool
  16. mine — for digging
  17. dip — to sink
  18. cold — not warm
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. hand — in cards
  23. cold — an illness
  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