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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. bass — the fish
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. saw — the tool
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. saw — the tool
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. wake — a trail
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bass — low music
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. mug — to rob
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. mug — a face
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — dry grass

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