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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. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. pop — soda
  4. net — in sport
  5. pop — to visit
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. fine — high quality
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. roll — a list
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. net — for catching
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. net — after costs
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. wax — to grow
  18. fine — all right
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. roll — a cake
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. rush — hurry
  24. pop — music

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