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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. mug — to rob
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. mug — a cup
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. march — music
  11. mug — a face
  12. march — the month
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. march — the month
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. saw — the tool
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. saw — the tool
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. branch — a division
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. pass — a permit

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