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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. rule — a law
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. chair — a leader
  8. sharp — clever
  9. mug — a face
  10. can — a tin
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bat — the animal
  14. can — to be able to
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. rule — government
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. can — a tin
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. spell — letters
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. spell — magic
  24. mug — to rob

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