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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. band — a ring
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. mug — a cup
  6. net — after costs
  7. band — a music group
  8. rush — hurry
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. net — in sport
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. shower — to wash
  14. shower — rain
  15. net — for catching
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. snap — to click
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. mug — to rob
  24. band — a rubber band

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