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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's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. mug — to rob
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mug — a cup
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. foot — a measure
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. mug — a face
  22. wind — moving air
  23. snap — to click
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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