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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. current — happening now
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bat — the animal
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. tube — the underground
  9. lie — to recline
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. current — electric
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. cold — an illness
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. current — of water

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