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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. last — to go on
  3. charge — a price
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — to tease
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — to wash
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. swing — in golf
  10. charge — in control
  11. swing — to play on
  12. face — to point toward
  13. charge — electricity
  14. mug — a cup
  15. bear — the animal
  16. face — to confront
  17. bear — the animal
  18. face — part of the head
  19. last — final
  20. mug — to rob
  21. kid — child
  22. last — finally
  23. swing — music
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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