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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mug — to rob
  3. snap — to click
  4. net — in sport
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. bound — tied together
  7. net — after costs
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. race — the arms race
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. bound — certain
  15. rock — music
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. race — a contest
  18. rock — a stone
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. race — humankind
  22. net — for catching
  23. mug — a face
  24. bound — obliged

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