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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 116 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. squash — to crush
  4. season — in sport
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mug — to rob
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. bark — to shout
  10. season — of the year
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mate — to breed
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mate — a partner
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mine — for digging
  20. squash — the sport
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. bark — of a tree

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