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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. squash — the sport
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mug — a face
  6. root — of a word
  7. cell — in biology
  8. cold — an illness
  9. cold — not warm
  10. firm — decided
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. firm — steady
  16. root — of a plant
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. firm — a company
  21. root — the cause
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. squash — to crush
  24. cell — a phone

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