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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: cap · pit · ball · tube · pitcher · chest · mug · lean

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. lean — thin
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. tube — a container
  5. chest — a box
  6. mug — to rob
  7. chest — of your body
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. ball — a dance
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. cap — a hat
  12. chest — of your body
  13. pit — in a race
  14. mug — a face
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pit — a hole
  17. cap — a lid
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. mug — a cup
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. lean — to bend
  23. cap — of ice
  24. tube — the underground

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