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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. cap — of ice
  3. game — a match
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. drill — a practice
  6. cap — a hat
  7. bulb — for light
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — obliged
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. drill — army training
  12. bulb — for light
  13. cap — a lid
  14. game — wild animals
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bound — tied together
  17. drill — the tool
  18. pitcher — in baseball

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