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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wind — moving air
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. squash — to crush
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. wind — moving air
  10. fall — to drop
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rash — a series
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. rash — hasty
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. fall — the season
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. squash — the sport
  21. fall — to drop
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. coach — a trainer

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