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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bass — the fish
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. field — for sport
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. field — a subject
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. field — farmland
  15. pass — a permit
  16. suit — to fit
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. bass — low music
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. suit — clothes
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. suit — in cards
  24. tube — a container

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