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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  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. rush — hurry
  2. mug — to rob
  3. cold — not warm
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. content — the amount
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. mug — a cup
  9. suit — to fit
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. ground — a position
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. ground — the earth
  16. cold — an illness
  17. mug — a face
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. ground — crushed
  20. suit — clothes
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. suit — in cards
  23. content — happy
  24. bowl — to roll

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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