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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mate — a friend
  3. pitch — completely
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bore — to drill
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mug — to rob
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the sport
  12. bore — to tire
  13. hand — in cards
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. hand — help
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. mug — a face
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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