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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  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. shower — rain
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. can — to be able to
  5. fork — in a road
  6. bulb — for light
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. game — a match
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. wind — moving air
  13. can — a tin
  14. game — wild animals
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. bulb — for light
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. wind — moving air
  19. can — a tin
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. shower — to wash
  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