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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. last — to go on
  3. track — a song
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. track — to keep track
  7. cue — for pool
  8. scale — size or range
  9. spring — the season
  10. scale — in music
  11. bound — certain
  12. spring — of water
  13. cue — a hint
  14. last — final
  15. last — finally
  16. bound — tied together
  17. spring — a coil
  18. rock — music
  19. track — a path
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. cue — a signal
  23. rock — a stone
  24. bound — obliged

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