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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. wind — moving air
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. fine — high quality
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. fine — all right
  8. pound — a weight
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. land — to come down
  11. mug — a face
  12. wind — moving air
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. bat — the animal
  15. toast — bread
  16. land — ground
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. land — a country
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. mug — to rob
  24. fine — a penalty

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