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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. can — a tin
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. ground — a position
  6. mate — a friend
  7. suit — in cards
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — to be able to
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. mate — a partner
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. club — for dancing
  14. suit — clothes
  15. suit — to fit
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mug — a cup
  18. ground — the earth
  19. club — a group
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. ground — crushed
  23. club — for golf
  24. mug — to rob

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