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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. tube — the underground
  3. spell — magic
  4. game — wild animals
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. mug — a cup
  10. fall — the season
  11. game — a match
  12. fall — to drop
  13. mug — a face
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. pitch — completely
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. mug — to rob
  18. spell — letters
  19. bass — the fish
  20. fall — to drop
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. spell — a short time
  23. bass — low music
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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