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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. staff — employees
  3. suit — in cards
  4. tube — a container
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. cell — in biology
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — a stick
  11. club — for dancing
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mark — a grade
  14. suit — clothes
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. club — for golf
  17. tube — the underground
  18. club — a group
  19. cell — a phone
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. mark — a trace
  23. suit — to fit
  24. straw — a straw man

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