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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. fine — all right
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. deal — to handle
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cell — in biology
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. lean — thin
  11. bulb — for light
  12. shower — rain
  13. bulb — for light
  14. shower — to wash
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. lean — to bend
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. cell — a phone
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. fork — in a road
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. fine — high quality

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