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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. degree — from a university
  3. saw — the tool
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. cell — in biology
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. lean — to bend
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. cell — a phone
  13. rash — hasty
  14. charge — in control
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — an amount
  17. lean — thin
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. charge — a price
  20. saw — the tool
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. charge — electricity
  23. rash — a series
  24. cell — in a prison

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