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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. fine — all right
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. band — a music group
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pitch — completely
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. fine — high quality
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — a box
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — magic
  18. object — an aim
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. spell — a short time
  21. chest — of your body
  22. band — a ring
  23. object — to protest
  24. pitcher — a jug

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