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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 120 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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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. mark — a trace
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. deal — to handle
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. cap — a lid
  8. mug — to rob
  9. drill — the tool
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. shower — to wash
  12. cap — of ice
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. cap — a hat
  16. wound — an injury
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. mug — a cup
  19. drill — a practice
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. drill — army training
  22. shower — rain
  23. wound — an injury
  24. mark — a grade

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