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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. ground — a position
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. ground — crushed
  5. net — after costs
  6. mug — to rob
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. rash — hasty
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. rash — a series
  12. mug — a face
  13. bulb — for light
  14. ground — the earth
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. net — for catching
  19. chest — of your body
  20. net — in sport
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. chest — a box
  23. chest — of your body
  24. rash — on the skin

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