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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. shower — to wash
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. squash — to crush
  7. shower — rain
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. firm — steady
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. firm — decided
  12. face — part of the head
  13. firm — a company
  14. face — to confront
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wound — an injury
  19. saw — the tool
  20. wound — an injury
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. squash — the sport
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. face — to point toward

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