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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. lean — thin
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. chip — for betting
  12. tube — a container
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — to breed
  15. lean — to bend
  16. chip — to eat
  17. tube — the underground
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. stand — to bear
  21. mate — a partner
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. chip — in a computer

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