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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. bank — of a river
  4. cold — an illness
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. tube — a container
  7. bank — for money
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. mug — a face
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. rest — a break
  12. mug — to rob
  13. rest — what's left
  14. bank — for money
  15. rest — what's left
  16. cold — not warm
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. bat — the animal
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. tube — the underground
  24. bat — in an idiom

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