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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. mug — a cup
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. mug — a face
  5. land — to come down
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. capital — a city
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. content — the amount
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. mug — to rob
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. capital — money
  17. land — a country
  18. dip — to sink
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. land — ground
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. content — happy

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