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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rest — what's left
  3. pop — to visit
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. press — a publisher
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. press — to push
  10. press — newspapers
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. file — a line of people
  13. pop — music
  14. tube — the underground
  15. hand — help
  16. rest — what's left
  17. file — a document
  18. rest — a break
  19. file — a tool
  20. tube — a container
  21. pop — soda
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bowl — to roll

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