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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. content — happy
  3. mug — a face
  4. clip — a video
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. mug — to rob
  7. shower — rain
  8. fall — the season
  9. fall — to drop
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. mug — a cup
  12. firm — a company
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — for paper
  15. shower — to wash
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. firm — steady
  19. firm — decided
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. content — the amount

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