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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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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. foot — a measure
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. mug — a cup
  5. key — in music
  6. key — for a lock
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. pass — a permit
  13. mug — to rob
  14. field — for sport
  15. key — the most important part
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. bat — the animal
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. snap — to click
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. field — farmland
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. field — a subject

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