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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. When was this ________________ built?
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. mug — a face
  6. mug — to rob
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. prune — to trim
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. scale — in music
  12. pit — in a race
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. rule — government
  16. scale — size or range
  17. mug — a cup
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. rule — a law
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. pit — a hole
  22. prune — to trim
  23. fork — in a road
  24. pitcher — a jug

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