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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. shower — to wash
  3. charge — electricity
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. chest — of your body
  9. charge — in control
  10. chest — a box
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. sharp — clever
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — to recline
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. chest — of your body
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. shower — rain
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. charge — a price

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