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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pound — for dogs
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. mine — for digging
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. lie — to recline
  13. capital — a city
  14. capital — money
  15. fine — all right
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. pound — a weight
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. fine — high quality
  21. hand — help
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. hand — in cards

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