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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 116 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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. cold — not warm
  3. mug — a cup
  4. squash — the sport
  5. mug — to rob
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. staff — a stick
  8. staff — employees
  9. rock — music
  10. rock — a stone
  11. staff — employees
  12. squash — to crush
  13. capital — a city
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. mug — a face
  18. plane — a tool
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. capital — money
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. bark — to shout

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