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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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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: bulb · mate · cold · snap · racket · content · rock · mug

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. cold — not warm
  3. rock — music
  4. mug — to rob
  5. content — happy
  6. mate — a friend
  7. content — the amount
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. mug — a face
  12. snap — to click
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. cold — an illness
  16. rock — a stone
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. mate — to breed
  20. mug — a cup
  21. bulb — for light
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bulb — for light
  24. mate — a partner

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