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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. mug — to rob
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. march — music
  6. field — for sport
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. field — a subject
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. pit — in a race
  12. chip — for betting
  13. march — the month
  14. bound — certain
  15. field — farmland
  16. bear — the animal
  17. chip — to eat
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bound — tied together
  20. snap — to click
  21. march — the month
  22. pit — a hole
  23. mug — a face
  24. bear — the animal

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