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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.

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: pitcher · wave · fall · chair · cap · saw · roll · mine

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cap — a hat
  5. fall — to drop
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. fall — the season
  9. saw — the tool
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. saw — the tool
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. cap — a lid
  17. chair — a leader
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. roll — a cake
  20. fall — to drop
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. roll — a list
  24. mine — for digging

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