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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  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. spell — a short time
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. face — to confront
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. spell — letters
  7. club — for dancing
  8. net — for catching
  9. spell — magic
  10. pound — a weight
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. fall — to drop
  13. net — in sport
  14. can — a tin
  15. fall — the season
  16. fall — to drop
  17. club — for golf
  18. can — a tin
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. face — to point toward
  21. club — a group
  22. net — after costs
  23. face — part of the head
  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