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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: cap · content · wake · land · bat · board · mug · key

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. bat — the animal
  3. content — happy
  4. board — a committee
  5. land — a country
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. content — the amount
  9. key — the most important part
  10. mug — to rob
  11. cap — of ice
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. board — to get on
  15. key — in music
  16. key — for a lock
  17. cap — a hat
  18. land — to come down
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. cap — a lid
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. land — ground
  24. mug — a face

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