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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. pit — in a race
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. mug — a cup
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pop — music
  11. mug — a face
  12. squash — the sport
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. mug — to rob
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. squash — to crush
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. pit — a hole
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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