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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: can · cue · racket · shower · march · file · chest · tube

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. can — a tin
  4. shower — to wash
  5. tube — the underground
  6. march — the month
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. file — a tool
  9. cue — for pool
  10. file — a line of people
  11. can — a tin
  12. cue — a signal
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. chest — of your body
  15. shower — rain
  16. tube — a container
  17. chest — a box
  18. chest — of your body
  19. cue — a hint
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. march — music
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. march — the month
  24. file — a document

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