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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 116 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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mug — a cup
  3. clip — a video
  4. spring — the season
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. content — happy
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. clip — to cut
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. kick — in football
  16. tube — a container
  17. mug — a face
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. content — the amount
  20. spring — a coil
  21. tube — the underground
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. spring — of water
  24. clip — for paper

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