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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. rest — what's left
  4. file — a document
  5. bear — the animal
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. file — a tool
  8. rest — a break
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. snap — to click
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. file — a line of people
  13. content — happy
  14. pop — to visit
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pop — music
  17. pop — soda
  18. content — the amount

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