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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mine · season · cue · stock · hand · pitch · tube · mug

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. tube — a container
  3. cue — a hint
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. mug — a cup
  7. hand — in cards
  8. season — of the year
  9. mug — a face
  10. season — in sport
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cue — for pool
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. stock — shares
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. mug — to rob
  17. stock — goods
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. hand — help
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. pitch — completely
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. mine — for digging
  24. stock — a soup base

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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