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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. tear — from crying
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. mug — a face
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. content — the amount
  10. mug — a cup
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. tear — from crying
  13. mine — for digging
  14. spell — letters
  15. spell — magic
  16. vault — a safe
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. spell — a short time
  20. tear — to rip
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mug — to rob
  24. content — happy

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