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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. pit — a hole
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. content — happy
  5. content — the amount
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. mug — a face
  8. mug — to rob
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. pound — a weight
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. present — the time now
  15. present — there
  16. snap — to click
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. mug — a cup
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. pit — in a race
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. sharp — clever
  24. sharp — exactly

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