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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. spring — of water
  3. mug — to rob
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. mug — a face
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. content — happy
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — tied together
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. content — the amount
  15. bound — certain
  16. land — a country
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — in football
  19. spring — a coil
  20. mug — a cup
  21. date — the fruit
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. land — ground
  24. spring — the season

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