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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.

Make a worksheet

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
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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: straw · snap · wind · pitcher · sharp · object · tube · temple

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. snap — to click
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. sharp — clever
  5. object — an aim
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wind — moving air
  11. tube — a container
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. object — to protest
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. object — a thing
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. tube — the underground
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. snap — to snap out of it

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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