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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 120 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: pass · game · tube · last · pitcher · file · face · safe

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. file — a line of people
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. tube — the underground
  9. game — wild animals
  10. last — finally
  11. game — a match
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. file — a document
  15. pass — a permit
  16. last — to go on
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — to point toward
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. face — part of the head
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. last — final
  23. tube — a container
  24. file — a tool

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