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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. spring — the season
  3. suit — clothes
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. spring — a coil
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. field — a subject
  10. sharp — clever
  11. key — the most important part
  12. key — in music
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. spring — of water
  15. field — for sport
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. key — for a lock
  18. field — farmland
  19. dip — to sink
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. suit — to fit
  22. suit — in cards
  23. snap — to click
  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