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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. snap — to click
  3. squash — the sport
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. land — a country
  7. squash — to crush
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mug — a face
  10. land — to come down
  11. season — of the year
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — of ice
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. cap — a lid
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. land — ground
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. pitch — completely
  23. season — in sport
  24. mug — to rob

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