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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. wound — an injury
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mug — a face
  6. squash — the sport
  7. bank — for money
  8. fine — all right
  9. fine — high quality
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. mug — to rob
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — a stick
  14. pass — a permit
  15. wound — an injury
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. staff — employees
  21. kid — child
  22. bank — for money
  23. squash — to crush
  24. bank — of a river

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