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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: mine · ground · net · stand · cell · content · mug · snap

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. mug — a cup
  3. content — the amount
  4. cell — a phone
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. snap — to click
  7. mug — to rob
  8. net — for catching
  9. stand — to bear
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. ground — crushed
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. ground — the earth
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. cell — in biology
  17. ground — a position
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. content — happy
  20. net — in sport
  21. net — after costs
  22. mug — a face
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — for digging

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