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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 116 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: tube · pop · hide · board · kid · cue · game · shower

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. cue — a hint
  3. cue — a signal
  4. shower — to wash
  5. board — to get on
  6. kid — to tease
  7. game — wild animals
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. game — a match
  11. kid — child
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. pop — soda
  14. tube — a container
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. board — a committee
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. pop — music
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. shower — rain
  22. cue — for pool
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. tube — the underground

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