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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. spell — letters
  3. lie — to recline
  4. mug — a cup
  5. mate — a partner
  6. spell — magic
  7. mug — to rob
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. track — to keep track
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. spell — a short time
  14. track — a song
  15. scale — size or range
  16. last — final
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. last — finally
  19. track — a path
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mate — to breed
  22. last — to go on
  23. scale — in music
  24. mate — a friend

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