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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ground · mate · shower · content · mug · rest · dip · staff

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. ground — the earth
  5. mug — a cup
  6. ground — a position
  7. shower — to wash
  8. ground — crushed
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. mate — a friend
  11. staff — a stick
  12. rest — what's left
  13. dip — to sink
  14. shower — rain
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mate — to breed
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. staff — employees
  19. content — happy
  20. rest — a break
  21. mate — a partner
  22. staff — employees
  23. rest — what's left
  24. content — the amount

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