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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 can't ________________ this cold.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. object — to protest
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. hand — in cards
  8. spell — magic
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. spell — a short time
  11. tube — a container
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. object — a thing
  14. rush — hurry
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. spell — letters
  18. tube — the underground
  19. hand — help
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. object — an aim
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. racket — a loud noise

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