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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. tube — the underground
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. tube — a container
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. current — electric
  10. degree — from a university
  11. degree — temperature
  12. object — to protest
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. bulb — for light
  15. object — an aim
  16. degree — an amount
  17. pitch — completely
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. object — a thing
  20. bulb — for light
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. current — of water
  23. current — happening now
  24. straw — dry grass

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