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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 116 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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. chair — a leader
  3. spell — a short time
  4. saw — the tool
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. spell — magic
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bear — the animal
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. rush — hurry
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bear — the animal
  24. spell — letters

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