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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. rock — a stone
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mug — a face
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. wind — moving air
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. rock — music
  13. wind — moving air
  14. mug — to rob
  15. bat — the animal
  16. file — a line of people
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. toast — bread
  19. file — a tool
  20. file — a document
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. wound — an injury

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