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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 have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. object — to protest
  4. object — a thing
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. bore — to tire
  7. object — an aim
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. capital — money
  10. cell — in biology
  11. bulb — for light
  12. bore — to drill
  13. cell — a phone
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. deal — to handle
  20. foot — a measure
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. capital — a city
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — of a plant

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