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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: firm · pop · pitcher · rash · tube · cue · pit · cold

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. pop — to visit
  3. rash — hasty
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rash — a series
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pop — soda
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. tube — a container
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. firm — decided
  15. firm — a company
  16. cue — a signal
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. cold — not warm
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cue — a hint
  23. tube — the underground
  24. pop — 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