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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 116 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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Word bank
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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. spell — letters
  4. row — a line
  5. pop — music
  6. row — to paddle
  7. cold — not warm
  8. spell — a short time
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mug — to rob
  13. cold — an illness
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. land — ground
  16. land — to come down
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pop — soda
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. spell — magic
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. pop — to visit
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. land — a country

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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