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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. content — the amount
  3. capital — a city
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. content — happy
  6. mug — a cup
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. dip — to sink
  13. foot — a measure
  14. capital — money
  15. game — a match
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. snap — to click
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. game — wild animals
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. mug — a face
  24. mug — to rob

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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