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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. can — to be able to
  3. can — a tin
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. cold — not warm
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. game — a match
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. drill — army training
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. game — wild animals
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. cold — an illness
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. drill — a practice
  19. can — a tin
  20. wax — to grow
  21. drill — the tool
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. safe — out of danger

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