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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. rush — hurry
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. fall — to drop
  9. fall — to drop
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a document
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. mark — a trace
  15. root — of a plant
  16. root — the cause
  17. root — of a word
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. file — a line of people
  22. fall — the season
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  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