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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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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: rush · coach · pitcher · cue · bat · bulb · field · file

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. file — a document
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. bat — the animal
  6. field — a subject
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. file — a line of people
  9. rush — hurry
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. field — farmland
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. file — a tool
  17. bulb — for light
  18. field — for sport
  19. cue — for pool
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cue — a signal
  22. bulb — for light
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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