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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mark — a grade
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. bat — the animal
  13. craft — a skill
  14. content — happy
  15. craft — boats
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. mark — a trace
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. band — a music group
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. content — the amount
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. band — a ring

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