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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — obliged
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pit — a hole
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. mark — a grade
  9. mark — a trace
  10. row — a line
  11. craft — a skill
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. craft — boats
  16. fine — high quality
  17. bound — tied together
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. fine — all right
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. row — to paddle
  24. pit — in a race

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