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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. kid — child
  3. ground — the earth
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. mug — a face
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. saw — the tool
  8. kid — to tease
  9. saw — the tool
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. mug — a cup
  13. ground — crushed
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. kick — in football
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. stem — to come from
  23. ground — a position
  24. ruler — for measuring

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