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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. ball — a great time
  6. ball — a dance
  7. bound — obliged
  8. row — a line
  9. chest — of your body
  10. row — to paddle
  11. chest — a box
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. wind — moving air
  14. chest — of your body
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bound — tied together
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wind — moving air
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bound — certain

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