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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. club — for golf
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. content — happy
  6. stand — to bear
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. can — to be able to
  10. club — a group
  11. mine — for digging
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. snap — to click
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. can — a tin
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. club — for dancing
  21. can — a tin
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. mine — belonging to me

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