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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. mine — for digging
  3. tube — a container
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pitch — completely
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. saw — the tool
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. tube — the underground
  20. fine — high quality
  21. date — the fruit
  22. branch — a division
  23. fine — all right
  24. mine — an explosive

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