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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — a series
  3. scale — size or range
  4. scale — in music
  5. can — a tin
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. can — a tin
  8. mug — to rob
  9. mug — a cup
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. can — to be able to
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mug — a face
  17. present — a gift
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. rash — hasty
  20. present — there
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. present — the time now
  24. scale — for weighing

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