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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. row — a line
  6. mug — to rob
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. chair — a leader
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. prune — to trim
  12. mug — a face
  13. swing — in golf
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. row — to paddle
  16. swing — to play on
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. mug — a cup
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. swing — music
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. prune — to trim
  24. mouse — the animal

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