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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. wax — to grow
  4. mine — for digging
  5. content — the amount
  6. suit — in cards
  7. content — happy
  8. mug — to rob
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. fine — high quality
  13. fine — all right
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. suit — clothes
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. mug — a cup
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. suit — to fit
  22. hand — in cards
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. hand — help

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