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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  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. saw — the tool
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. saw — the tool
  6. cap — of ice
  7. chest — a box
  8. drill — the tool
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. cap — a hat
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. drill — army training
  14. toast — bread
  15. mug — a cup
  16. wound — an injury
  17. drill — a practice
  18. cap — a lid
  19. chest — of your body
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. mark — a trace
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. chest — of your body
  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