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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. rest — what's left
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. drill — army training
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. content — happy
  8. pitch — completely
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. drill — a practice
  11. mug — a face
  12. branch — a division
  13. kick — in football
  14. mug — to rob
  15. rest — a break
  16. mug — a cup
  17. mine — for digging
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. drill — the tool
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. rest — what's left

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