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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. hand — in cards
  3. mug — a cup
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. suit — to fit
  6. net — for catching
  7. squash — the sport
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. suit — in cards
  10. lean — to bend
  11. net — in sport
  12. current — electric
  13. mug — to rob
  14. squash — to crush
  15. suit — clothes
  16. net — after costs
  17. current — happening now
  18. current — of water
  19. stem — to come from
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. hand — help
  24. lean — thin

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