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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. ground — a position
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. mug — a cup
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. present — there
  8. ground — the earth
  9. net — for catching
  10. wind — moving air
  11. ground — crushed
  12. present — the time now
  13. mug — to rob
  14. wind — moving air
  15. squash — to crush
  16. net — in sport
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — for betting
  20. squash — the sport
  21. net — after costs
  22. present — a gift
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. temple — a place of worship

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