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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. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — from crying
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. clip — a video
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. court — for sport
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. tube — a container
  13. clip — for paper
  14. clip — to cut
  15. foot — a measure
  16. court — of a king
  17. tear — to rip
  18. chip — for betting
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. tube — the underground
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. chip — to eat
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. court — of law

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