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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: mug · pound · capital · content · rash · chest · hide · mouse

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. chest — of your body
  5. capital — a city
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. pound — a weight
  8. content — happy
  9. capital — money
  10. content — the amount
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. mug — a cup
  14. chest — of your body
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. mug — a face
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. rash — a series
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. chest — a box
  23. mug — to rob
  24. capital — a big letter

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