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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. mark — a trace
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. wind — moving air
  11. mug — a cup
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. mug — to rob
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. march — the month
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. mark — a grade
  23. wound — an injury
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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