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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · cold · charge · last · saw · pitcher

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. wind — moving air
  5. saw — the tool
  6. wind — moving air
  7. charge — a price
  8. last — to go on
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. cold — an illness
  11. saw — the tool
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. cold — not warm
  15. last — finally
  16. charge — electricity
  17. last — final
  18. charge — in control

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