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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mug — a face
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. mug — to rob
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. craft — a skill
  9. hand — in cards
  10. dip — to sink
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. bat — the animal
  14. scale — in music
  15. scale — size or range
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. wake — a trail
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. hand — help
  22. craft — boats
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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