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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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. squash — the sport
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. squash — to crush
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. content — happy
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. content — the amount
  13. last — finally
  14. mug — a face
  15. fork — in a road
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. object — to protest
  18. last — final
  19. object — a thing
  20. last — to go on
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. mug — to rob
  23. object — an aim
  24. mug — a cup

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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