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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
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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: tear · pop · cue · bat · charge · tube · spell · game

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. tear — to rip
  3. tube — a container
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. spell — letters
  8. cue — for pool
  9. tear — from crying
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — a short time
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. cue — a hint
  14. charge — in control
  15. tube — the underground
  16. charge — electricity
  17. pop — music
  18. pop — soda
  19. pop — to visit
  20. cue — a signal
  21. bat — the animal
  22. game — wild animals
  23. tear — from crying
  24. charge — a price

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