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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 116 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: staff · pitcher · fine · saw · race · dip · rush · bear

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. staff — employees
  3. rush — hurry
  4. dip — to sink
  5. race — humankind
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — all right
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. staff — a stick
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. race — a contest
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. staff — employees
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. race — the arms race
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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