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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 116 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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. key — for a lock
  3. pitch — completely
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mug — a cup
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. row — a line
  12. key — the most important part
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. cell — a phone
  17. key — in music
  18. wound — an injury
  19. row — to paddle
  20. saw — the tool
  21. dip — to sink
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. dip — a sauce

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