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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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. staff — employees
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. row — a line
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. row — to paddle
  9. key — for a lock
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. staff — a stick
  12. key — in music
  13. lie — to recline
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. game — a match
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. mine — for digging
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. staff — employees
  23. game — wild animals
  24. key — the most important part

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