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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. kick — in football
  7. content — the amount
  8. can — a tin
  9. content — happy
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to click
  12. chair — a leader
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pound — a weight
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. can — a tin
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. can — to be able to
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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