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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. drill — the tool
  6. sharp — clever
  7. swing — music
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mug — to rob
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. face — to confront
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. mine — for digging
  15. drill — a practice
  16. rock — a stone
  17. ball — a dance
  18. face — part of the head
  19. rock — music
  20. ball — a great time
  21. face — to point toward
  22. swing — to play on
  23. swing — in golf
  24. drill — army training

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