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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. track — to keep track
  6. toast — bread
  7. saw — the tool
  8. race — humankind
  9. race — a contest
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. track — a path
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. saw — the tool
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. race — the arms race
  18. track — a song

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