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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mug — a face
  3. firm — steady
  4. firm — a company
  5. chest — of your body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. fine — all right
  8. field — farmland
  9. bore — to drill
  10. mug — to rob
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. fine — high quality
  14. chest — a box
  15. bore — to tire
  16. saw — the tool
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. firm — decided
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. field — for sport
  21. field — a subject
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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