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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hand · pitcher · last · cabinet · suit · roll · spring · cell

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. hand — in cards
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. suit — to fit
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — the season
  8. roll — a cake
  9. hand — help
  10. suit — in cards
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. roll — a list
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. suit — clothes
  16. spring — a coil
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cell — a phone
  20. last — final
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. last — finally
  24. last — to go on

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