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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. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. rest — what's left
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. rest — what's left
  7. race — the arms race
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. can — to be able to
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. race — humankind
  12. rest — a break
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. fine — all right
  15. can — a tin
  16. scale — size or range
  17. wind — moving air
  18. scale — in music
  19. can — a tin
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. race — a contest
  22. fine — high quality
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. wind — moving air

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