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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. land — a country
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. hand — help
  11. land — to come down
  12. toast — bread
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. hand — in cards
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — hurry
  20. wind — moving air
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. land — ground
  24. safe — a strongbox

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