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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. swing — in golf
  4. sharp — clever
  5. bound — certain
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. bound — tied together
  8. cold — an illness
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bound — obliged
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mug — to rob
  14. swing — to play on
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. cold — not warm
  17. swing — music
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. content — the amount
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. content — happy
  24. mug — a cup

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