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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. key — for a lock
  7. spell — a short time
  8. dip — to sink
  9. mark — a trace
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. spell — magic
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. rash — a series
  14. key — the most important part
  15. mark — a grade
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. spell — letters
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. rash — hasty
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. key — in music
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. ruler — for measuring

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