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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. kick — in football
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. last — final
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. last — finally
  8. hand — help
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. hand — in cards
  11. mug — to rob
  12. last — to go on
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. march — music
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. march — the month
  18. mug — a face
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. content — the amount
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. mug — a cup
  23. content — happy
  24. march — the month

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