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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. saw — the tool
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. saw — the tool
  9. scale — in music
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. scale — size or range
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. capital — money
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. capital — a city
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. wake — to stop sleeping

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