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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mug — a face
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. bound — tied together
  8. chip — to eat
  9. mug — to rob
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. bound — obliged
  13. cold — not warm
  14. shower — rain
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. dip — to sink
  17. chip — for betting
  18. cold — an illness
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. shower — to wash
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. bound — certain
  24. chair — a leader

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