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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: rock · face · tube · pitcher · squash · rest · jam · hand

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rest — a break
  3. hand — in cards
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. squash — to crush
  6. face — part of the head
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. rock — a stone
  13. tube — a container
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. hand — help
  16. face — to confront
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rock — music
  20. squash — the sport
  21. face — to point toward
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. tube — the underground
  24. rest — what's left

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