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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. pop — soda
  3. squash — the sport
  4. pop — music
  5. mug — a face
  6. shower — to wash
  7. firm — decided
  8. pop — to visit
  9. firm — a company
  10. firm — steady
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. squash — to crush
  14. mug — to rob
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. shower — rain
  20. cold — an illness
  21. chip — to eat
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. chip — for betting
  24. cold — not warm

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