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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. suit — clothes
  3. land — a country
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cold — not warm
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. dip — to sink
  9. suit — in cards
  10. land — ground
  11. chest — of your body
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. land — to come down
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. content — happy
  16. cold — an illness
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. content — the amount
  20. mug — a cup
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — a box
  23. suit — to fit
  24. mug — to rob

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