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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. kid — to tease
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. land — ground
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. mug — to rob
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. mug — a face
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. land — to come down
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. mug — a cup
  23. kid — child
  24. land — a country

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