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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. rest — a break
  3. march — the month
  4. mug — to rob
  5. lie — to recline
  6. march — the month
  7. mug — a face
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. rest — what's left
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. game — a match
  12. net — after costs
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. game — wild animals
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. march — music
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. net — for catching
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. rest — what's left
  22. net — in sport
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — to eat

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