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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. pass — a permit
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. field — for sport
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. dip — to sink
  8. field — farmland
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. mug — to rob
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. bat — the animal
  19. mug — a face
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. field — a subject

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