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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rush — hurry
  6. bass — low music
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. wind — moving air
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. wind — moving air
  12. root — of a plant
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. mark — a grade
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — the fish
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. root — the cause
  22. root — of a word
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. mark — a trace

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