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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mug — a face
  5. kid — to tease
  6. rash — hasty
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bank — of a river
  9. mug — to rob
  10. rash — a series
  11. bulb — for light
  12. ground — a position
  13. kid — child
  14. bat — the animal
  15. mug — a cup
  16. ground — the earth
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. ground — crushed
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bank — for money
  21. bank — for money
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bulb — of a plant

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