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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. charge — a price
  7. snap — to click
  8. charge — in control
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. charge — electricity
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. capital — money
  14. capital — a city
  15. band — a music group
  16. band — a ring
  17. tear — to rip
  18. tear — from crying
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. tear — from crying
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wake — a trail

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