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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mine — for digging
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. ground — a position
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. scale — in music
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. scale — size or range
  13. rush — hurry
  14. ground — the earth
  15. ground — crushed
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. wind — moving air
  19. chest — a box
  20. wind — moving air
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. mug — to rob
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. mug — a face

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