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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 124 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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. dip — to sink
  6. squash — the sport
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. wind — moving air
  11. row — a line
  12. mug — to rob
  13. saw — the tool
  14. squash — to crush
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. mug — a cup
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. wind — moving air
  22. row — to paddle
  23. date — the fruit
  24. saw — the tool

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