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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. mug — to rob
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. content — happy
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. clip — to cut
  7. mark — a trace
  8. rock — a stone
  9. clip — a video
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. rock — music
  13. mug — a face
  14. mark — a grade
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. content — the amount
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. season — of the year
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. season — in sport
  24. clip — for paper

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