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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 116 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. fall — to drop
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. tube — a container
  10. field — farmland
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. fall — to drop
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. field — for sport
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. field — a subject
  21. fall — the season
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. tube — the underground

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