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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 124 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. saw — the tool
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. bat — the animal
  6. pitch — completely
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. roll — a cake
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. roll — a list
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. dip — to sink
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. plane — a tool
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. saw — the tool
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bat — for baseball

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