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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: tube · pop · toast · chair · net · current · cue · mate

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. pop — music
  3. chair — a leader
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. net — after costs
  6. pop — soda
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — the underground
  9. cue — a signal
  10. mate — a partner
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mate — a friend
  13. current — electric
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. current — happening now
  16. pop — to visit
  17. cue — for pool
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. current — of water
  22. cue — a hint
  23. net — in sport
  24. net — for catching

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