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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. mug — a face
  6. face — part of the head
  7. mug — a cup
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. shower — rain
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. face — to point toward
  16. mug — to rob
  17. shower — to wash
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. face — to confront
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. cold — not warm
  22. branch — a division
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. pitcher — a jug

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