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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. rest — a break
  4. charge — in control
  5. fine — high quality
  6. track — a song
  7. charge — a price
  8. lean — to bend
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. rest — what's left
  11. track — a path
  12. squash — the sport
  13. fine — all right
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. ground — crushed
  16. rest — what's left
  17. ground — the earth
  18. charge — electricity
  19. squash — to crush
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. track — to keep track
  22. ground — a position
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. lean — thin

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