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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. wake — a trail
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — the underground
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. rest — what's left
  12. field — a subject
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — a break
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. field — farmland
  24. pitch — completely

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