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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. wind — moving air
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. deal — to handle
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. mug — to rob
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mark — a trace
  13. bulb — for light
  14. track — a song
  15. track — a path
  16. track — to keep track
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. mark — a grade
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bulb — for light
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. mug — a cup

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