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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cap — a hat
  6. sharp — clever
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bat — the animal
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. can — a tin
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. cap — a lid
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. race — humankind
  18. race — the arms race
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. race — a contest
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. can — to be able to
  23. can — a tin
  24. plane — a tool

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