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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — hurry
  3. mug — a cup
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. file — a tool
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. spring — of water
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — the season
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. mug — a face
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a line of people
  15. mug — to rob
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — a safe

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