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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. fall — to drop
  4. drill — the tool
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. fall — to drop
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — the underground
  9. drill — a practice
  10. stand — to bear
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — to crush
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. fall — the season
  16. drill — army training
  17. deal — to handle
  18. wind — moving air
  19. squash — the sport
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. wind — moving air
  24. stand — on your feet

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