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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. land — to come down
  3. land — ground
  4. last — final
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mug — to rob
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. bore — to tire
  9. degree — temperature
  10. last — finally
  11. land — a country
  12. last — to go on
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — a lid
  16. bear — the animal
  17. squash — to crush
  18. cap — of ice
  19. degree — from a university
  20. degree — an amount
  21. bore — to drill
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. squash — the sport
  24. bear — the animal

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