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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fine — high quality
  3. net — for catching
  4. fall — to drop
  5. plane — a tool
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. fall — to drop
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. net — after costs
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. last — to go on
  16. fine — all right
  17. fall — the season
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. last — finally
  20. last — final
  21. net — in sport
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. fine — a penalty

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