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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. object — a thing
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. object — an aim
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. scale — size or range
  13. sharp — clever
  14. bulb — for light
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. scale — in music
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. wax — to grow
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. object — to protest

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