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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. mug — to rob
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. bear — the animal
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mug — a cup
  8. cold — not warm
  9. ball — a great time
  10. row — to paddle
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. row — a line
  17. pop — to visit
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. pop — soda
  20. cold — an illness
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. pop — music
  23. mug — a face
  24. bear — the animal

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