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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. wind — moving air
  5. chest — of your body
  6. wound — an injury
  7. craft — boats
  8. key — in music
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wound — an injury
  11. chest — of your body
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. chest — a box
  15. deal — to handle
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. mug — a cup
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. key — for a lock
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. key — the most important part
  22. craft — a skill
  23. wind — moving air
  24. mug — a face

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