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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bat · cabinet · bore · can · snap · mark · stand · mug

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mark — a trace
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. stand — to bear
  8. bore — to drill
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. bore — to tire
  11. mug — to rob
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. mark — a grade
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. bat — the animal
  19. can — a tin
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. snap — to click
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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