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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: kick · squash · swing · toast · bear · tube · shower · cue

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. squash — the sport
  3. squash — to crush
  4. bear — the animal
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. tube — a container
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. shower — to wash
  9. shower — rain
  10. swing — to play on
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. bear — the animal
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. cue — a signal
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. cue — for pool
  20. swing — in golf
  21. toast — bread
  22. tube — the underground
  23. kick — in football
  24. swing — music

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