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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  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 cup
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. spell — a short time
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. date — the fruit
  7. rest — what's left
  8. race — a contest
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. snap — to click
  11. race — the arms race
  12. ball — a great time
  13. mug — to rob
  14. spell — magic
  15. mug — a face
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. spell — letters
  19. race — humankind
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. rest — what's left
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. rest — a break
  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