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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. swing — to play on
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mug — a cup
  6. swing — music
  7. cap — a hat
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. swing — in golf
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. cap — of ice
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. rush — hurry
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. mug — a face
  22. cap — a lid
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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