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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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. spring — of water
  3. firm — steady
  4. object — a thing
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. rash — hasty
  7. object — an aim
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — the season
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. object — to protest
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. spring — a coil
  15. firm — decided
  16. rash — a series
  17. firm — a company
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. foot — a measure
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. spring — the season

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