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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. kid — child
  4. last — finally
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. kid — to tease
  7. last — final
  8. last — to go on
  9. cap — a lid
  10. rush — hurry
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cap — of ice
  15. can — a tin
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. can — a tin
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. cap — a hat
  24. can — to be able to

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