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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 116 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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. hand — in cards
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. file — a document
  8. file — a line of people
  9. season — in sport
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. bass — low music
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. season — of the year
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. cap — a lid
  16. bass — the fish
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. prune — to trim
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cap — of ice
  21. hand — help
  22. file — a tool
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. cap — a hat

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