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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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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. file — a line of people
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — a container
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. branch — a division
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. file — a tool
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. tube — the underground
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. file — a document
  24. pound — for dogs

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