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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: ball · rush · pitcher · stick · kid · cap · mug · spell

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. spell — letters
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. cap — a hat
  5. mug — to rob
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. cap — of ice
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. kid — child
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. kid — to tease
  15. spell — a short time
  16. rush — hurry
  17. ball — a dance
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. mug — a cup
  21. cap — a lid
  22. mug — a face
  23. spell — magic
  24. pitcher — a jug

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