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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. object — a thing
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. row — to paddle
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. drill — a practice
  11. row — a line
  12. drill — the tool
  13. toast — bread
  14. object — an aim
  15. ground — a position
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. ground — the earth
  19. shower — to wash
  20. drill — army training
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. ground — crushed
  24. object — to protest

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