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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. mug — to rob
  3. mug — a cup
  4. row — to paddle
  5. degree — from a university
  6. mug — a face
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. snap — to click
  9. row — a line
  10. tube — the underground
  11. spell — magic
  12. degree — an amount
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. lie — to recline
  19. degree — temperature
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. spell — a short time
  23. tube — a container
  24. spell — letters

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