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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. plane — a tool
  4. cold — not warm
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. cold — an illness
  10. rock — music
  11. row — a line
  12. deal — to handle
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. rock — a stone
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. kick — in football
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. row — to paddle
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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