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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. mug — a face
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. wound — an injury
  5. present — the time now
  6. present — there
  7. cap — a lid
  8. squash — to crush
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. squash — the sport
  11. pound — a weight
  12. cap — a hat
  13. mug — to rob
  14. cap — of ice
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. mug — a cup
  17. hand — help
  18. rock — music
  19. hand — in cards
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. present — a gift
  24. wound — an injury

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