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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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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 · fine · key · saw · rash · spring · rule · cold

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. key — in music
  5. key — for a lock
  6. rash — a series
  7. rule — a law
  8. key — the most important part
  9. saw — the tool
  10. rule — government
  11. spring — a coil
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. fine — high quality
  15. rash — hasty
  16. cold — an illness
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. saw — the tool
  19. fine — all right
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. spring — of water
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. spring — the season

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