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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. cue — a signal
  3. cue — a hint
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. band — a ring
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. tube — a container
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. band — a music group
  10. cue — for pool
  11. kid — to tease
  12. tube — the underground
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. roll — a cake
  16. dip — to sink
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. stand — to bear
  21. kid — child
  22. roll — a list
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. dip — a sauce

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