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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. object — a thing
  3. tear — to rip
  4. row — to paddle
  5. rule — government
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bass — low music
  8. game — a match
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. object — to protest
  12. game — wild animals
  13. object — an aim
  14. row — a line
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. rule — a law
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. tear — from crying
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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