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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: fine · straw · pitcher · bat · content · leaves · last · mug

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. mug — a cup
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. content — the amount
  6. last — finally
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. fine — all right
  10. last — final
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bat — the animal
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. content — happy
  17. mug — a face
  18. mug — to rob
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. last — to go on
  22. fine — high quality
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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