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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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. prune — to trim
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. fine — all right
  6. fine — high quality
  7. track — a path
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. shower — to wash
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. mug — to rob
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. track — a song
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. wind — moving air
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. prune — to trim
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. shower — rain
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. wind — moving air
  24. track — to keep track

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