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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. tear — to rip
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mug — to rob
  5. cue — for pool
  6. snap — to click
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. mug — a face
  9. tear — from crying
  10. face — to point toward
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. cue — a signal
  13. chair — a leader
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. cue — a hint
  17. tear — from crying
  18. face — to confront
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. face — part of the head
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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