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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.

Make a worksheet

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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. mug — to rob
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. lean — to bend
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — the fish
  10. game — wild animals
  11. mug — a face
  12. lean — thin
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. game — a match
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. object — to protest
  17. object — an aim
  18. dip — to sink
  19. cold — not warm
  20. object — a thing
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. cold — an illness
  24. lean — to rest against

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