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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pop — music
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. last — finally
  7. race — humankind
  8. dip — to sink
  9. pop — soda
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. last — final
  12. bank — of a river
  13. race — the arms race
  14. bank — for money
  15. court — of a king
  16. pop — to visit
  17. last — to go on
  18. court — of law
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. race — a contest
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. bank — for money
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. court — for sport

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