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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. cold — not warm
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mug — a cup
  8. roll — a cake
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. roll — a list
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. cold — an illness
  14. saw — the tool
  15. toast — bread
  16. mug — a face
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. swing — to play on
  19. swing — music
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. saw — the tool
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. swing — in golf

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