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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. shower — to wash
  3. cap — a lid
  4. toast — bread
  5. shower — rain
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. kid — child
  8. land — ground
  9. cap — a hat
  10. mate — to breed
  11. wake — a trail
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. land — a country
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. land — to come down
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. mate — a partner
  19. cap — of ice
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. mate — a friend
  22. mug — to rob
  23. kid — to tease
  24. mug — a cup

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