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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: pass · sharp · saw · pound · fall · fine · wind · pitcher

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pass — a permit
  5. fine — all right
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fall — the season
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. sharp — clever
  12. fall — to drop
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. fall — to drop
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wind — moving air
  22. pound — a weight
  23. saw — the tool
  24. wind — to turn a key

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