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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 124 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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. suit — in cards
  3. club — for golf
  4. rash — hasty
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. spell — magic
  7. saw — the tool
  8. club — a group
  9. saw — the tool
  10. club — for dancing
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bore — to tire
  13. suit — to fit
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. spell — a short time
  18. bore — to drill
  19. spell — letters
  20. mark — a trace
  21. rash — a series
  22. suit — clothes
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. mark — a grade

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