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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.

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: tube · can · cue · pitch · degree · band · shower · kick

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. degree — temperature
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. tube — the underground
  5. can — a tin
  6. cue — a hint
  7. can — to be able to
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. degree — an amount
  11. tube — a container
  12. can — a tin
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — rain
  17. cue — for pool
  18. degree — from a university
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. band — a music group
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. kick — in football
  23. band — a ring
  24. kick — a thrill

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