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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 116 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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. wake — a trail
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. tube — the underground
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. snap — to click
  16. game — a match
  17. lie — to recline
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. pitch — completely
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. game — wild animals
  24. pitcher — a jug

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