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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. prune — to trim
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. foot — a measure
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. content — happy
  9. tube — the underground
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. game — a match
  14. game — wild animals
  15. prune — to trim
  16. tube — a container
  17. lean — to bend
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. content — the amount
  21. lean — thin
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. lean — to rest against
  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