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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. fall — to drop
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. bass — the fish
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. fall — the season
  9. can — to be able to
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bass — low music
  12. can — a tin
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. cold — an illness
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rash — a series
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. rash — hasty
  22. fall — to drop
  23. cold — not warm
  24. rush — to hurry

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