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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. mug — to rob
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. mark — a grade
  7. pass — a permit
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. snap — to click
  11. cold — not warm
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. staff — a stick
  14. mug — a face
  15. root — of a word
  16. staff — employees
  17. root — the cause
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. mark — a trace
  21. root — of a plant
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. staff — employees
  24. cold — an illness

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