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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. mug — a cup
  4. bound — certain
  5. squash — to crush
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cue — a signal
  8. mug — to rob
  9. face — part of the head
  10. bound — tied together
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bound — obliged
  13. rash — a series
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — a line
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. face — to point toward
  19. face — to confront
  20. mug — a face
  21. cue — a hint
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. squash — the sport

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