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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. firm — steady
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. pop — music
  8. cap — of ice
  9. firm — a company
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. firm — decided
  12. chest — a box
  13. pop — soda
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mug — to rob
  16. pop — to visit
  17. mug — a cup
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. cap — a lid
  21. cap — a hat
  22. chest — of your body
  23. date — the fruit
  24. mouse — the animal

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