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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 is an ace ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. bulb — for light
  4. shower — to wash
  5. dip — to sink
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. cell — in biology
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. board — a committee
  13. board — to get on
  14. shower — rain
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — for sport
  17. field — farmland
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. deal — to handle
  20. bulb — for light
  21. cell — a phone
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. cell — in a prison

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