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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rule — a law
  3. lean — thin
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. lean — to bend
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. key — for a lock
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. bass — low music
  13. rule — government
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. key — the most important part
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. key — in music
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — the season
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. pound — a weight
  24. bass — the fish

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