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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. wind — moving air
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bound — tied together
  7. charge — electricity
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. charge — a price
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fine — all right
  15. swing — in golf
  16. bound — certain
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. swing — to play on
  20. charge — in control
  21. swing — music
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. bound — obliged

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