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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: rash · saw · cell · press · net · pitcher · foot · wind

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. cell — a phone
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. saw — the tool
  7. cell — in biology
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. net — for catching
  10. rash — a series
  11. press — to push
  12. net — in sport
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. press — newspapers
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — moving air
  18. net — after costs
  19. rash — hasty
  20. foot — a measure
  21. press — a publisher
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. foot — part of the body

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