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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. firm — a company
  3. bound — tied together
  4. file — a tool
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. file — a line of people
  7. firm — steady
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fine — all right
  12. firm — decided
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bound — certain
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. deal — to handle
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. file — a document
  22. bound — obliged
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. fine — high quality

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