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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. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. file — a tool
  4. last — final
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. file — a line of people
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pound — a weight
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. stem — to come from
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. last — to go on
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. file — a document
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. last — finally
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. stem — of a plant

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