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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. bound — certain
  5. spell — letters
  6. bound — tied together
  7. fine — all right
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. squash — the sport
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. squash — to crush
  13. sharp — clever
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. bound — obliged
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. spell — a short time
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. spell — magic
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. fine — high quality
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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