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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. present — there
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. can — a tin
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. fork — in a road
  12. wound — an injury
  13. present — the time now
  14. wound — an injury
  15. band — a music group
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. present — a gift
  18. can — to be able to
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. band — a ring
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. can — a tin

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