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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. cold — not warm
  5. stem — to come from
  6. content — the amount
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. object — an aim
  10. bound — obliged
  11. mug — to rob
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. mug — a face
  14. cold — an illness
  15. bound — certain
  16. object — a thing
  17. bound — tied together
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. capital — money
  20. object — to protest
  21. capital — a city
  22. content — happy
  23. kick — in football
  24. kick — a thrill

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