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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. tube — the underground
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wake — a trail
  6. kick — in football
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. fall — to drop
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — in cards
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. key — for a lock
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. key — the most important part
  20. key — in music
  21. fall — the season
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. fall — to drop

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