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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. chest — of your body
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chip — to eat
  6. shower — to wash
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. mug — a face
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. chest — a box
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. chip — for betting
  13. staff — employees
  14. present — the time now
  15. present — a gift
  16. present — there
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. staff — employees
  19. mug — to rob
  20. staff — a stick
  21. shower — rain
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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