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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. bound — certain
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. cell — a phone
  5. drill — army training
  6. land — ground
  7. mug — to rob
  8. mate — a partner
  9. mate — a friend
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — tied together
  12. mate — to breed
  13. cap — a hat
  14. land — to come down
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. cap — a lid
  17. cap — of ice
  18. drill — the tool
  19. mug — a face
  20. land — a country
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. drill — a practice
  23. cell — in biology
  24. mouse — the animal

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