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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. land — to come down
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. saw — the tool
  12. sharp — clever
  13. saw — the tool
  14. pass — a permit
  15. land — a country
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. wind — moving air
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. track — a song
  20. track — to keep track
  21. wind — moving air
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. track — a path
  24. land — ground

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