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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mug · bat · object · chest · pitcher · mate · shower · dip

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mate — a partner
  3. shower — rain
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. object — an aim
  6. mug — a cup
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. chest — a box
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. object — a thing
  11. dip — to sink
  12. object — to protest
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. chest — of your body
  16. mate — to breed
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. shower — to wash
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. mug — to rob
  23. mate — a friend
  24. chest — of your body

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