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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 120 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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. tube — a container
  4. mate — to breed
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. bound — tied together
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. face — to confront
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. face — part of the head
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bound — certain
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. lean — thin
  16. face — to point toward
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. mate — a partner
  19. bound — obliged
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. lean — to bend
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. mate — a friend
  24. bat — for 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