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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 room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. sharp — clever
  3. fall — to drop
  4. mug — a cup
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cap — a hat
  9. mug — to rob
  10. tube — the underground
  11. fall — to drop
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — an illness
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. cap — of ice
  17. mug — a face
  18. cap — a lid
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. fall — the season
  23. cold — not warm
  24. tube — a container

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