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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. tube — the underground
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. dip — to sink
  9. pass — a permit
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — for digging
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. tube — a container
  19. bat — the animal
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. date — the fruit
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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