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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. last — to go on
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mug — a face
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. mug — a cup
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. mug — to rob
  11. bear — the animal
  12. wind — moving air
  13. last — final
  14. wind — moving air
  15. tube — a container
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. last — finally
  20. tube — the underground
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bear — the animal
  24. wind — to turn a key

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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