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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 120 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: key · pitcher · cell · rule · mug · rash · wind · foot

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. foot — a measure
  4. rash — a series
  5. mug — a face
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. key — the most important part
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. key — in music
  10. rule — government
  11. wind — moving air
  12. key — for a lock
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. cell — a phone
  17. mug — to rob
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. rule — a law
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. cell — in biology
  23. mug — a cup
  24. rash — on the skin

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