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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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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: fork · cue · jam · pound · cell · kid · date · tube

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. tube — a container
  3. cue — a signal
  4. fork — in a road
  5. pound — a weight
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. cell — a phone
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. kid — child
  14. cue — a hint
  15. kid — to tease
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. cell — in biology
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. tube — the underground
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. date — the fruit

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