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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. squash — to crush
  4. spell — a short time
  5. mark — a grade
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. present — there
  9. present — the time now
  10. squash — the sport
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. saw — the tool
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — letters
  18. present — a gift
  19. saw — the tool
  20. mark — a trace
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — army training
  23. drill — a practice
  24. pitcher — a jug

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