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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 refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mug — to rob
  3. rash — a series
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mate — a friend
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wound — an injury
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. shower — to wash
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. mug — a face
  16. rash — hasty
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. chip — for betting
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. shower — rain
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. mate — to breed
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chip — in a computer

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