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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cell — in biology
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. pop — to visit
  6. wind — moving air
  7. shower — rain
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. row — to paddle
  10. pop — music
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. row — a line
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. pop — soda
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. toast — bread
  20. wind — moving air
  21. cell — a phone
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. shower — to wash
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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