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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 120 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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. clip — for paper
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. chair — a leader
  6. wound — an injury
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. lean — to bend
  13. clip — to cut
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. tube — the underground
  18. clip — a video
  19. tube — a container
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. lean — thin
  22. wound — an injury
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. mouse — the animal

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