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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. chip — for betting
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. bass — low music
  5. prune — to trim
  6. chip — to eat
  7. mug — to rob
  8. bass — the fish
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. snap — to click
  15. cold — not warm
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. cold — an illness
  19. prune — to trim
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. pound — a weight
  24. mug — a face

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