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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. mug — a cup
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. season — of the year
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. mate — a friend
  10. season — in sport
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. mug — to rob
  14. cold — an illness
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mug — a face
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bore — to drill

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