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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. saw — the tool
  3. mug — a face
  4. staff — employees
  5. rash — hasty
  6. row — a line
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. bat — the animal
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. mug — to rob
  12. rash — a series
  13. row — to paddle
  14. staff — employees
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. lie — to recline
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. mug — a cup
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. saw — the tool
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. staff — a stick

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