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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. spring — the season
  5. mug — a face
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. charge — in control
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. mate — to breed
  10. content — the amount
  11. net — for catching
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mate — a friend
  14. spring — a coil
  15. charge — electricity
  16. spring — of water
  17. net — after costs
  18. content — happy
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. net — in sport
  21. mate — a partner
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. mug — to rob
  24. charge — a price

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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