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

Word bank: board · pit · bowl · content · snap · mug · pop · tear

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pit — in a race
  4. content — happy
  5. mug — a cup
  6. tear — from crying
  7. board — to get on
  8. mug — to rob
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. pop — music
  14. mug — a face
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. content — the amount
  17. board — a committee
  18. tear — to rip
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. snap — to click
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. pop — soda
  24. tear — from crying

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