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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. mug — a cup
  3. bass — the fish
  4. mug — a face
  5. mine — for digging
  6. swing — in golf
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — for catching
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. mark — a grade
  14. net — after costs
  15. bass — low music
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mug — to rob
  19. swing — music
  20. mark — a trace
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. swing — to play on

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