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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 116 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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. spell — magic
  4. spell — a short time
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. club — for dancing
  9. file — a tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. file — a document
  13. tube — a container
  14. club — for golf
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. club — a group
  19. spell — letters
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. snap — to click
  22. tube — the underground
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. file — a line of people

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