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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. fine — high quality
  7. spell — magic
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. spell — letters
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. spell — a short time
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. chair — a leader
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. fine — all right
  24. cold — an illness

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