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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 120 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. dip — to sink
  4. fork — in a road
  5. saw — the tool
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. saw — the tool
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. hand — in cards
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. chair — a leader
  14. wind — moving air
  15. vault — a safe
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. hand — help
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. wind — moving air
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. dip — to dunk

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