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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  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. mug — a cup
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. capital — money
  5. mate — to breed
  6. pop — soda
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — to visit
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. bark — to shout
  15. wake — a trail
  16. mate — a partner
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mug — to rob
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. capital — a city
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. lash — to lash out
  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