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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 120 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pop — soda
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. can — to be able to
  5. spell — a short time
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. chair — a leader
  9. can — a tin
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. pop — to visit
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. content — happy
  16. spell — letters
  17. can — a tin
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. spell — magic
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. content — the amount
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. pop — music
  24. chair — a professorship

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