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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 120 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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mug — a face
  3. suit — clothes
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. squash — the sport
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. mug — a cup
  9. squash — to crush
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — to come from
  12. suit — in cards
  13. cold — not warm
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. suit — to fit
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. cold — an illness
  24. fan — a supporter

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