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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. shower — to wash
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mug — to rob
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. net — after costs
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bound — certain
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. shower — rain
  14. net — for catching
  15. bound — obliged
  16. net — in sport
  17. bound — tied together
  18. mug — a face
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — to cut
  23. clip — for paper
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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