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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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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: straw · content · cap · mug · cell · cabinet · bay · snap

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cap — a hat
  9. mug — a cup
  10. snap — to click
  11. content — the amount
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. cap — a lid
  16. mug — to rob
  17. content — happy
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cell — a phone
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. straw — dry grass

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