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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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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. mug — to rob
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pit — in a race
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mate — a partner
  10. staff — employees
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. mate — a friend
  13. staff — employees
  14. mug — a cup
  15. march — the month
  16. lean — to bend
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. pit — a hole
  20. lean — thin
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. march — music
  23. staff — a stick
  24. march — the month

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