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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. lie — to recline
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. swing — in golf
  7. wake — a trail
  8. swing — to play on
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. tube — a container
  11. swing — music
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. plane — a tool
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. tube — the underground
  20. degree — temperature
  21. degree — an amount
  22. degree — from a university
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. bat — the animal

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