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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. squash — the sport
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. rock — music
  7. drill — army training
  8. rock — a stone
  9. game — a match
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. face — to confront
  13. squash — to crush
  14. face — part of the head
  15. mug — to rob
  16. band — a ring
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. band — a music group
  20. mug — a face
  21. face — to point toward
  22. game — wild animals
  23. drill — the tool
  24. drill — a practice

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