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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. content — happy
  4. content — the amount
  5. squash — the sport
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. squash — to crush
  8. court — for sport
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mug — a cup
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. court — of law
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. wake — a trail
  18. court — of a king
  19. bat — the animal
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. mug — to rob
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. cabinet — ministers

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