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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mug — a face
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. row — a line
  5. rock — music
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rock — a stone
  8. race — the arms race
  9. race — a contest
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. bat — the animal
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — for digging
  14. pop — soda
  15. row — to paddle
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. race — humankind
  18. pop — to visit
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. pop — music
  24. mug — to rob

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