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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: ground · chest · snap · sharp · mug · tube · fine · pitcher

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. chest — of your body
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. snap — to click
  6. ground — the earth
  7. mug — to rob
  8. mug — a cup
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. chest — a box
  11. ground — crushed
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. mug — a face
  14. chest — of your body
  15. fine — all right
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. tube — a container
  18. ground — a position
  19. tube — the underground
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. sharp — clever
  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