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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bear — the animal
  3. last — final
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. last — finally
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. last — to go on
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mark — a grade
  14. bear — the animal
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. stand — to bear
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. mine — for digging
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. mouse — the animal

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