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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. net — in sport
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mug — to rob
  5. charge — a price
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. roll — a cake
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. net — after costs
  10. ground — crushed
  11. band — a music group
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mate — a friend
  15. ground — the earth
  16. band — a ring
  17. charge — electricity
  18. net — for catching
  19. ground — a position
  20. mine — for digging
  21. roll — a list
  22. charge — in control
  23. mate — to breed
  24. roll — on a roll

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