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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fine — all right
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. can — to be able to
  6. last — to go on
  7. can — a tin
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. charge — electricity
  10. can — a tin
  11. last — final
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. fine — high quality
  14. chair — a leader
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. charge — in control
  17. charge — a price
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. scale — size or range
  21. pass — a permit
  22. last — finally
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — in music

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