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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wake · bowl · pitch · tube · stick · file · pitcher · lean

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitch — completely
  6. tube — a container
  7. wake — a trail
  8. lean — to bend
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. lean — thin
  12. file — a line of people
  13. tube — the underground
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a document
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. lean — to rest against

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