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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. The water is too ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. cold — not warm
  3. spell — letters
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. can — to be able to
  6. pop — to visit
  7. spell — magic
  8. suit — clothes
  9. cue — for pool
  10. pop — soda
  11. suit — to fit
  12. cue — a signal
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. net — after costs
  16. can — a tin
  17. suit — in cards
  18. spell — a short time
  19. pop — music
  20. net — for catching
  21. cue — a hint
  22. can — a tin
  23. net — in sport
  24. cold — an illness

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