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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mug — to rob
  4. staff — employees
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bat — the animal
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. staff — a stick
  11. march — the month
  12. mug — a cup
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. fine — high quality
  16. staff — employees
  17. kid — child
  18. march — music
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. mug — a face
  21. march — the month
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. kid — to tease
  24. fine — all right

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