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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. spell — letters
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. rock — music
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. spell — magic
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. spell — a short time
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. rock — a stone
  17. temple — side of the head
  18. pound — a weight
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cold — an illness
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. fan — a supporter

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