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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: court · mate · tube · scale · dip · spring · cue · board

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. cue — a hint
  4. tube — a container
  5. board — to get on
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of a king
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. cue — for pool
  10. tube — the underground
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. cue — a signal
  13. court — of law
  14. spring — a coil
  15. scale — size or range
  16. mate — a partner
  17. dip — to sink
  18. board — a committee
  19. spring — of water
  20. mate — a friend
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. mate — to breed
  23. spring — the season
  24. scale — in 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