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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. file — a line of people
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. toast — bread
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wind — moving air
  9. file — a tool
  10. field — for sport
  11. wind — moving air
  12. dip — to sink
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. file — a document
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — in sport
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — a subject
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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