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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. suit — clothes
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. mine — for digging
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bore — to drill
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. mug — to rob
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mug — a face
  13. shower — to wash
  14. wake — a trail
  15. capital — money
  16. shower — rain
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. suit — in cards
  20. bore — to tire
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. suit — to fit
  23. capital — a city
  24. bore — gave birth

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