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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 116 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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  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. current — happening now
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. row — a line
  5. cell — in biology
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. cell — a phone
  8. mug — to rob
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. mug — a cup
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bat — the animal
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. current — electric
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. current — of water
  23. bat — for baseball
  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