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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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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. game — wild animals
  5. game — a match
  6. mug — a face
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. saw — the tool
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. spell — letters
  11. pass — a permit
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. spell — magic
  14. cap — a hat
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. mug — to rob
  17. cap — of ice
  18. spell — a short time
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. mug — a cup
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. cap — a lid
  24. saw — the tool

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