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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. net — after costs
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — in sport
  8. cue — for pool
  9. mug — to rob
  10. cap — of ice
  11. wind — moving air
  12. cap — a hat
  13. chest — of your body
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. mug — a cup
  16. cue — a hint
  17. cue — a signal
  18. cap — a lid
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. chest — of your body
  21. wind — moving air
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. chest — a box
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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