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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 refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. ground — a position
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mug — a face
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. ground — crushed
  9. stem — to come from
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. staff — a stick
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. deal — to handle
  17. ground — the earth
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. staff — employees
  21. hand — in cards
  22. hand — help
  23. staff — employees
  24. stem — of a plant

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