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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  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 cup
  2. mug — to rob
  3. face — part of the head
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. mine — for digging
  6. face — to confront
  7. squash — to crush
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. face — to point toward
  12. bulb — for light
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. shower — to wash
  15. field — farmland
  16. squash — the sport
  17. mug — a face
  18. field — for sport
  19. bulb — for light
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. shower — rain
  22. field — a subject
  23. squash — the vegetable
  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