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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 120 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pop — music
  3. degree — temperature
  4. kid — to tease
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. degree — from a university
  10. mate — to breed
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. mate — a friend
  13. degree — an amount
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. mate — a partner
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. pop — soda
  18. wax — to grow
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. kid — child
  23. pop — to visit
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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