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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: tube · toast · court · dip · spring · cue · bat · craft

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. bat — the animal
  3. cue — a hint
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. court — of a king
  7. toast — bread
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. craft — a skill
  10. spring — the season
  11. dip — to sink
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. craft — boats
  14. court — of law
  15. cue — a signal
  16. court — for sport
  17. tube — a container
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. cue — for pool
  22. spring — of water
  23. tube — the underground
  24. tube — in a tire

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