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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. content — happy
  3. wax — for sculpting
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. mine — for digging
  6. key — in music
  7. content — the amount
  8. mug — a cup
  9. key — for a lock
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mug — a face
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. cell — a phone
  17. key — the most important part
  18. mug — to rob
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. wax — to grow
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. cell — in biology
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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