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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. roll — a list
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. cell — in biology
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. spell — magic
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bound — tied together
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. bound — certain
  13. roll — a cake
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. cell — a phone
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bound — obliged
  19. sharp — clever
  20. spell — letters
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. spell — a short time

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