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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. row — a line
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. mug — a face
  5. mug — a cup
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. sharp — clever
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. rule — government
  13. rest — a break
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. mug — to rob
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. saw — the tool
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. row — to paddle
  21. rest — what's left
  22. saw — the tool
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. dip — to sink

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