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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. mark — a trace
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. pitch — completely
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. wake — a trail
  9. object — a thing
  10. wind — moving air
  11. mug — to rob
  12. rash — hasty
  13. wind — moving air
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. object — to protest
  16. mug — a cup
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. mark — a grade
  21. object — an aim
  22. bat — the animal
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — on the skin

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