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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. net — for catching
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cap — a hat
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. drill — army training
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. content — the amount
  15. mug — a face
  16. drill — the tool
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. mug — to rob
  19. drill — a practice
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — in sport
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. mug — a cup

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