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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. shower — rain
  3. mug — a cup
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. mug — a face
  6. wake — a trail
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. club — for dancing
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. club — for golf
  13. swing — in golf
  14. swing — music
  15. swing — to play on
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. mug — to rob
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. club — a group
  22. shower — to wash
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. trunk — of a car

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