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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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. nail — on a finger
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. fine — all right
  9. track — a song
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. fine — high quality
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. track — to keep track
  15. pound — a weight
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. wound — an injury
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. track — a path
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. mark — a grade
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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