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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. kid — child
  6. mug — a cup
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. kid — to tease
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. mug — a face
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. rock — music
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. rock — a stone
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. mug — to rob
  24. saw — the tool

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