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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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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mug — a cup
  3. drill — a practice
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. mug — a face
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. firm — a company
  8. mug — to rob
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. sharp — clever
  11. drill — the tool
  12. rock — a stone
  13. firm — decided
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. firm — steady
  17. rock — music
  18. drill — army training

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