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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 120 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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. rash — a series
  3. cue — for pool
  4. mug — to rob
  5. lean — to bend
  6. mate — to breed
  7. lean — thin
  8. spring — of water
  9. hand — in cards
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bat — the animal
  12. rash — hasty
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. cue — a signal
  16. mug — a cup
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. hand — help
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mate — a friend
  21. spring — the season
  22. cue — a hint
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. lean — to rest against

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