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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. mug — a cup
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pit — a hole
  6. bass — low music
  7. mug — to rob
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. dip — to sink
  10. drill — army training
  11. tear — to rip
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. drill — a practice
  15. pit — in a race
  16. roll — a list
  17. mug — a face
  18. drill — the tool
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. roll — a cake
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — from crying
  24. pitcher — a jug

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