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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.

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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. content — happy
  3. rush — hurry
  4. land — a country
  5. content — the amount
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. squash — the sport
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. suit — clothes
  11. snap — to click
  12. squash — to crush
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. land — to come down
  16. mine — for digging
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. suit — to fit
  19. land — ground
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. suit — in cards
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rush — a thrill

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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