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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. snap — to click
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. mug — to rob
  9. face — to point toward
  10. content — the amount
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. cue — a signal
  14. face — part of the head
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. face — to confront
  17. cue — a hint
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. cue — for pool
  20. mug — a cup
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. mug — a face
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. bowl — to roll

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