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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. kick — in football
  3. mark — a trace
  4. last — to go on
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. band — a music group
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. last — final
  10. mark — a grade
  11. last — finally
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. tube — a container
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. tube — the underground
  20. sharp — clever
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. band — a ring
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. dip — to sink

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