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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. cap — a hat
  3. mug — a face
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. cap — a lid
  6. game — a match
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bark — to shout
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. mate — to breed
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. mate — a friend
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. game — wild animals
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. mug — a cup
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mug — to rob
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. cap — of ice
  24. wake — a trail

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