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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fall · bay · pitch · tube · sharp · rule · can · fan

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. can — a tin
  5. rule — government
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. can — a tin
  11. fall — the season
  12. pitch — completely
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. can — to be able to
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. fall — to drop
  20. sharp — clever
  21. rule — a law
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. tube — a container
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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