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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 116 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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. tear — to rip
  3. cap — a lid
  4. swing — to play on
  5. mug — a face
  6. pop — music
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. tear — from crying
  9. cap — of ice
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. tear — from crying
  12. stock — shares
  13. pop — soda
  14. swing — in golf
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. cap — a hat
  17. swing — music
  18. stock — goods
  19. mug — to rob
  20. ball — a great time
  21. pop — to visit
  22. ball — a dance
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wake — a trail

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