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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. content — happy
  3. craft — a skill
  4. content — the amount
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. suit — clothes
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. mark — a grade
  12. wound — an injury
  13. suit — to fit
  14. suit — in cards
  15. craft — boats
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mark — a trace
  19. wound — an injury
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. kick — in football

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