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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  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 — a jug
  2. staff — a stick
  3. staff — employees
  4. suit — in cards
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. fork — in a road
  10. root — the cause
  11. suit — clothes
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. staff — employees
  14. suit — to fit
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. root — of a word
  17. lie — to recline
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. root — of a plant
  20. cold — not warm
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  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