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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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Word bank
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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. snap — to click
  4. can — to be able to
  5. content — happy
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. can — a tin
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. can — a tin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. pit — in a race
  14. cap — of ice
  15. content — the amount
  16. cap — a hat
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. cap — a lid

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