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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. mug — a cup
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mate — to breed
  6. spell — a short time
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. spell — magic
  11. craft — a skill
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. content — the amount
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mug — a face
  16. bat — the animal
  17. chest — of your body
  18. content — happy
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. craft — boats
  21. mate — a friend
  22. chest — a box
  23. chest — of your body
  24. spell — letters

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