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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: saw · pound · last · pass · fine · kid · cap · pitcher

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. last — finally
  5. cap — a lid
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. cap — a hat
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pound — a weight
  12. fine — all right
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. last — to go on
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. saw — the tool
  17. kid — child
  18. cap — of ice
  19. pass — a permit
  20. last — final
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. kid — to tease
  24. saw — the tool

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