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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. bound — certain
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. mug — a cup
  5. chest — a box
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. kick — in football
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. capital — money
  10. capital — a city
  11. bound — tied together
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — a trace
  15. content — the amount
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mug — a face
  18. chest — of your body
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. content — happy
  21. chest — of your body
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. bound — obliged
  24. pitch — completely

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