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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bound — certain
  4. wake — a trail
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bound — obliged
  9. bound — tied together
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. rest — what's left
  12. rest — a break
  13. scale — in music
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. fine — high quality
  17. saw — the tool
  18. fine — all right
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. rest — what's left
  24. saw — the tool

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