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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. mug — to rob
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. net — for catching
  10. content — the amount
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. net — in sport
  14. net — after costs
  15. hand — in cards
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. stem — to come from
  18. mug — a face
  19. mug — a cup
  20. pass — a permit
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. hand — help

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