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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. tube — a container
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. file — a line of people
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. file — a tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wake — a trail
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. tube — the underground
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. chair — a leader
  20. file — a document
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. kick — in football
  24. pitcher — a jug

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