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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 116 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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. tube — a container
  3. mug — a face
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. mate — a friend
  6. club — a group
  7. cap — a lid
  8. club — for golf
  9. mug — to rob
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a hat
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. tube — the underground
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. mug — a cup
  17. bound — certain
  18. content — the amount
  19. bound — obliged
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. bound — tied together
  22. mate — a partner
  23. mate — to breed
  24. club — for dancing

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