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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: chest · rule · spell · mouse · mine · straw · pop · mug

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mug — a face
  3. chest — a box
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. rule — a law
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. spell — a short time
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pop — music
  13. mug — to rob
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. pop — to visit
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — magic
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. pop — soda
  22. rule — government
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. mine — an explosive

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