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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. rest — what's left
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. press — to push
  7. scale — in music
  8. cap — of ice
  9. press — a publisher
  10. rest — a break
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. rest — what's left
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bat — the animal
  18. press — newspapers
  19. cap — a hat
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bark — to shout
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. scale — size or range

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