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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. fine — all right
  9. rush — hurry
  10. file — a tool
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. fine — high quality
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. kick — in football
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. can — to be able to
  17. file — a document
  18. can — a tin
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. can — a tin
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. file — a line of people
  24. kick — with a leg

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