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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. mug — to rob
  3. mug — a cup
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. suit — in cards
  6. suit — to fit
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — the fruit
  9. drill — the tool
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. drill — army training
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. cold — an illness
  14. rash — hasty
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. drill — a practice
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. suit — clothes
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. rash — a series
  21. mug — a face
  22. perch — the fish
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. cold — not warm

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