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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mine — for digging
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. scale — size or range
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. scale — in music
  9. squash — the sport
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. squash — to crush
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. calf — of the leg

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