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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. content — the amount
  3. kid — to tease
  4. foot — a measure
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. kid — child
  7. plane — a tool
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. mug — a face
  11. content — happy
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. stock — shares
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. stock — goods
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. pass — a permit
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. mug — to rob
  24. snap — to click

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