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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 124 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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. roll — a list
  4. mug — a face
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. content — happy
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. roll — a cake
  9. mine — for digging
  10. content — the amount
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. degree — from a university
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. mug — a cup
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — in sport
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. lie — to recline
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. degree — temperature
  24. degree — an amount

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