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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 116 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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Word bank
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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — of the year
  6. suit — to fit
  7. file — a tool
  8. spell — magic
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. file — a line of people
  12. spell — a short time
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. spell — letters
  15. file — a document
  16. kick — in football
  17. suit — in cards
  18. mark — a grade
  19. object — an aim
  20. suit — clothes
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mark — a trace
  23. object — a thing
  24. object — to protest

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