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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 116 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. scale — size or range
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bulb — for light
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. craft — boats
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. wind — moving air
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. craft — a skill
  19. bulb — for light
  20. pass — a permit
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bat — the animal
  23. scale — in music
  24. pitcher — a jug

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