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

Word bank: sharp · chest · tube · suit · cue · pitcher · track · kid

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. sharp — clever
  4. suit — in cards
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. tube — the underground
  9. kid — to tease
  10. cue — for pool
  11. suit — to fit
  12. cue — a signal
  13. cue — a hint
  14. chest — of your body
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. chest — a box
  17. track — a path
  18. track — to keep track
  19. track — a song
  20. kid — child
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. suit — clothes
  24. chest — of your body

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