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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. mug — a cup
  3. season — of the year
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mug — a face
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bark — to shout
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. file — a tool
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a document
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — in sport
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. hand — help
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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