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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. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mug — a cup
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. club — for golf
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. prune — to trim
  14. club — for dancing
  15. club — a group
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — magic
  20. prune — to trim
  21. mug — to rob
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. spell — a short time

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