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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. mug — a face
  3. mine — for digging
  4. track — a song
  5. mug — to rob
  6. row — to paddle
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. shower — rain
  9. track — to keep track
  10. charge — in control
  11. track — a path
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. dip — to sink
  15. mug — a cup
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. shower — to wash
  18. row — a line
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. charge — electricity
  24. charge — a price

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