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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: net · patient · dip · cue · pit · sharp · spell · tube

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. cue — a hint
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. sharp — clever
  5. pit — a hole
  6. net — for catching
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. dip — to sink
  10. pit — in a race
  11. cue — for pool
  12. spell — letters
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. tube — the underground
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. net — in sport
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. spell — a short time
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. spell — magic
  22. net — after costs
  23. tube — a container
  24. sharp — exactly

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