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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: shower · tube · spell · rule · mug · hand · stick · pitch

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. tube — a container
  3. tube — the underground
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. shower — rain
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. mug — a face
  8. spell — letters
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. spell — a short time
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. hand — help
  13. mug — to rob
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. rule — a law
  17. pitch — completely
  18. mug — a cup
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. hand — in cards
  22. spell — magic
  23. shower — to wash
  24. rule — government

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