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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. rest — a break
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. fall — to drop
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. cell — in biology
  10. rest — what's left
  11. fall — the season
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. cell — a phone
  14. toast — bread
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitch — completely
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. rest — what's left
  19. fall — to drop
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. kick — in football
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. jam — in traffic

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