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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. content — happy
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. mug — to rob
  7. bat — the animal
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. charge — a price
  10. mug — a face
  11. shower — to wash
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. pound — a weight
  14. present — a gift
  15. content — the amount
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. charge — in control
  20. shower — rain
  21. charge — electricity
  22. mug — a cup
  23. present — there
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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