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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mug — to rob
  3. saw — the tool
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. content — the amount
  7. pit — a hole
  8. saw — the tool
  9. chair — a leader
  10. mug — a face
  11. capital — money
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. capital — a city
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. pit — in a race
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. content — happy
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. patient — a sick person

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