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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. mug — a face
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. content — the amount
  5. content — happy
  6. lean — thin
  7. wind — moving air
  8. ground — the earth
  9. mate — a friend
  10. lean — to bend
  11. mate — to breed
  12. scale — size or range
  13. wind — moving air
  14. mate — a partner
  15. ground — a position
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mug — a cup
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. scale — in music
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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