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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 120 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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. swing — in golf
  4. mark — a trace
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. pitch — completely
  7. squash — the sport
  8. swing — to play on
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mug — a face
  12. squash — to crush
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. swing — music
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. mark — a grade
  20. deal — to handle
  21. bark — to shout
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. mug — to rob
  24. mark — to pay attention

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