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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. pass — a permit
  6. file — a document
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. file — a line of people
  10. prune — to trim
  11. snap — to click
  12. file — a tool
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fork — in a road
  19. band — a ring
  20. foot — a measure
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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