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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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. mark — a trace
  4. object — to protest
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. object — a thing
  7. object — an aim
  8. rest — what's left
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. chest — of your body
  11. rest — a break
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. chest — of your body
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. chest — a box
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. dip — to sink
  22. rest — what's left
  23. mark — a grade
  24. pass — a permit

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