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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 116 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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. ground — the earth
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. object — to protest
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. cap — of ice
  10. last — to go on
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cap — a lid
  13. object — a thing
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — crushed
  16. cap — a hat
  17. last — final
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. last — finally
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. object — an aim
  24. wind — moving air

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