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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.

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: bat · field · pitcher · march · sharp · nail · dip · tube

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. sharp — clever
  3. march — the month
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bat — the animal
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. field — farmland
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. field — for sport
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. field — a subject
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. march — the month
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. tube — the underground
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. tube — a container
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. march — music

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