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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. land — a country
  3. snap — to click
  4. stand — to bear
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. mug — to rob
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. content — the amount
  11. deal — to handle
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. spring — a coil
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. spring — the season
  16. land — ground
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. mug — a face
  19. content — happy
  20. spring — of water
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. land — to come down
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. deal — a big deal

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