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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: cue · coach · net · mine · foot · row · season · tube

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. tube — the underground
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. net — for catching
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. row — a line
  8. season — of the year
  9. mine — for digging
  10. net — after costs
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. net — in sport
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. cue — for pool
  17. row — to paddle
  18. cue — a signal
  19. foot — a measure
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. cue — a hint
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. season — in sport
  24. tube — a container

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