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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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Word bank
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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. cap — of ice
  4. rush — hurry
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. ball — a dance
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. tube — a container
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. cap — a hat
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. tube — the underground
  21. ball — a great time
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. cap — a lid
  24. pitcher — in 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