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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: mate · vault · mug · sharp · content · chest · kick · row

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. row — a line
  3. mate — to breed
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mate — a friend
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. row — to paddle
  8. mug — a face
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. content — the amount
  11. mug — to rob
  12. mug — a cup
  13. kick — in football
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. chest — a box
  16. mate — a partner
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. vault — a safe
  21. sharp — clever
  22. content — happy
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. chest — of your body

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