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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 116 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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. cell — a phone
  4. wound — an injury
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. bore — to drill
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. capital — money
  10. mug — a cup
  11. wound — an injury
  12. capital — a city
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. ball — a great time
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. mug — to rob
  19. cell — in biology
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. ball — a dance

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