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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. object — to protest
  3. last — final
  4. face — to point toward
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. object — an aim
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. object — a thing
  12. face — to confront
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. stand — to bear
  17. saw — the tool
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. last — finally
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. last — to go on
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. face — part of the head

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