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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 116 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. content — happy
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mark — a trace
  5. hand — in cards
  6. spring — of water
  7. bulb — for light
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. mark — a grade
  15. spring — a coil
  16. mug — to rob
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. bulb — for light
  19. content — the amount
  20. spring — the season
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. hand — help
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mug — a face

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