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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitch — completely
  5. wound — an injury
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — hasty
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rash — a series
  13. cold — not warm
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. cold — an illness
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. fine — all right
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. fine — high quality
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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