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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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. racket — for tennis
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. suit — in cards
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. dip — to sink
  14. suit — clothes
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. cell — a phone
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cell — in biology
  20. lie — to recline
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. suit — to fit
  24. cabinet — ministers

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