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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: hand · pitch · pop · race · rock · cap · mug · tube

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. tube — the underground
  3. race — humankind
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. cap — a lid
  6. hand — in cards
  7. pop — music
  8. mug — a face
  9. mug — to rob
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. pop — soda
  13. tube — a container
  14. hand — help
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. rock — a stone
  17. pitch — completely
  18. pop — to visit
  19. race — the arms race
  20. mug — a cup
  21. rock — music
  22. race — a contest
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. cap — of ice

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