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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: object · kid · net · mine · snap · content · mug · vault

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. kid — to tease
  3. mine — for digging
  4. object — a thing
  5. net — in sport
  6. content — the amount
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. object — to protest
  9. mug — to rob
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. net — after costs
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. mug — a cup
  14. snap — to click
  15. vault — a safe
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. kid — child
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. net — for catching
  22. object — an aim
  23. mug — a face
  24. content — videos and posts

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