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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. wind — moving air
  8. key — the most important part
  9. rush — hurry
  10. foot — a measure
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. key — in music
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. net — after costs
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wake — a trail
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. net — for catching
  21. net — in sport
  22. key — for a lock
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. pitcher — a jug

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