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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. club — for golf
  3. club — a group
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. tube — the underground
  8. last — final
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. club — for dancing
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. last — finally
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. snap — to click
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. tube — a container
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. last — to go on
  23. pitch — completely
  24. jam — in traffic

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