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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. stand — to bear
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. band — a ring
  10. spell — letters
  11. saw — the tool
  12. last — finally
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. can — a tin
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. band — a music group
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. spell — a short time
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. spell — magic
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. last — final
  24. last — to go on

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