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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. mate — to breed
  3. kid — child
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mate — a friend
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. charge — electricity
  8. bank — for money
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. bank — for money
  11. mate — a partner
  12. fine — high quality
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. fine — all right
  15. bank — of a river
  16. charge — a price
  17. row — a line
  18. kid — to tease
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. charge — in control
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. row — to paddle
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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