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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. mug — a face
  3. staff — employees
  4. drill — a practice
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. drill — army training
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mark — a grade
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. staff — employees
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mug — a cup
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. cold — not warm
  20. staff — a stick
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. cold — an illness
  24. drill — the tool

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