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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. field — for sport
  5. rush — hurry
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mug — to rob
  11. field — a subject
  12. mug — a face
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. field — farmland

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