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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. hand — help
  3. date — the fruit
  4. lean — to bend
  5. lean — thin
  6. squash — to crush
  7. squash — the sport
  8. present — there
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. present — a gift
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. roll — a cake
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. mark — a trace
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. mug — a face
  19. hand — in cards
  20. present — the time now
  21. mug — to rob
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. roll — a list
  24. mark — a grade

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