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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. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. squash — to crush
  3. drill — a practice
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. current — happening now
  6. spell — magic
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. drill — army training
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. spell — a short time
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. race — the arms race
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. current — of water
  17. foot — a measure
  18. race — a contest
  19. squash — the sport
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. spell — letters
  22. drill — the tool
  23. current — electric
  24. race — humankind

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