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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. content — happy
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. fine — all right
  7. root — of a word
  8. suit — clothes
  9. fine — high quality
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. content — the amount
  13. cold — not warm
  14. root — the cause
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. cold — an illness
  22. root — of a plant
  23. suit — to fit
  24. mouse — the animal

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