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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: rush · pitcher · date · scale · lie · straw · last · chest

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. chest — a box
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. scale — size or range
  6. date — the fruit
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. last — final
  9. last — finally
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. last — to go on
  14. lie — to recline
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. rush — hurry
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. chest — of your body
  23. chest — of your body
  24. scale — in music

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