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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. shower — to wash
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. pop — soda
  5. last — to go on
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. spell — a short time
  8. bear — the animal
  9. shower — rain
  10. bear — the animal
  11. spell — magic
  12. pop — to visit
  13. mug — to rob
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. rule — government
  16. last — final
  17. pop — music
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. mug — a cup
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. rule — a law
  22. last — finally
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. spell — letters

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