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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 124 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mug — a face
  6. spring — of water
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — a position
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. mark — a trace
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. spring — the season
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. mark — a grade
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. mug — to rob
  20. ground — the earth
  21. spring — a coil
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. mug — a cup
  24. racket — for tennis

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