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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bulb — for light
  4. cold — an illness
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. squash — the sport
  7. mug — to rob
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. cold — not warm
  10. ball — a dance
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mug — a face
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bulb — for light
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. squash — to crush
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. ball — a great time
  22. mate — a partner
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. mate — a friend

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