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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cell — in biology
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mug — a cup
  6. spring — of water
  7. spring — a coil
  8. land — to come down
  9. land — ground
  10. cell — a phone
  11. saw — the tool
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. band — a music group
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. band — a ring
  17. saw — the tool
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. spring — the season
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mug — to rob
  23. land — a country
  24. racket — a loud noise

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