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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. lean — to bend
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. rush — hurry
  5. object — an aim
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. mark — a grade
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. wake — a trail
  14. mark — a trace
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. object — a thing
  17. fine — high quality
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. lean — thin
  21. object — to protest
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. fine — all right

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