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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. present — the time now
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a lid
  9. land — to come down
  10. fall — to drop
  11. rash — hasty
  12. fall — the season
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. land — a country
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — a series
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. rush — hurry
  21. present — there
  22. fall — to drop
  23. land — ground
  24. present — a gift

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