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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. rush — hurry
  10. mug — a face
  11. bore — to tire
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a match
  19. dip — to sink
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. bore — to drill
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. mug — to rob

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