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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 116 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. race — the arms race
  4. drill — army training
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. mug — a cup
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. mug — a face
  10. deal — to handle
  11. mug — to rob
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. scale — in music
  14. rest — a break
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. rest — what's left
  17. race — a contest
  18. rest — what's left
  19. drill — the tool
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. drill — a practice
  23. scale — size or range
  24. race — humankind

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