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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. mug — a face
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. mug — a cup
  5. tear — to rip
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. court — of law
  8. content — the amount
  9. tear — from crying
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. court — for sport
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. mug — to rob
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. court — of a king
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. chest — a box
  19. craft — a skill
  20. chest — of your body
  21. tear — from crying
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. chest — of your body
  24. craft — boats

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