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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. cue — a signal
  3. bound — obliged
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. cue — for pool
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. tube — a container
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. capital — a city
  16. scale — in music
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. bound — certain
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. tube — the underground
  22. scale — size or range
  23. capital — money
  24. bound — tied together

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