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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. mug — a face
  4. mark — a grade
  5. mug — to rob
  6. rest — what's left
  7. squash — the sport
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. squash — to crush
  10. content — the amount
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. fork — in a road
  14. season — of the year
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. mark — a trace
  20. rest — what's left
  21. season — in sport
  22. kick — in football
  23. rest — a break
  24. mug — a cup

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