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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mug — to rob
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — certain
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. wake — a trail
  7. rash — a series
  8. mug — a face
  9. bound — obliged
  10. rest — what's left
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rest — what's left
  15. squash — to crush
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. rest — a break
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. squash — the sport
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. rash — hasty

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