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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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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  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. snap — to speak sharply
  2. snap — to click
  3. content — the amount
  4. saw — the tool
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pop — music
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. mate — a friend
  10. pop — to visit
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. pop — soda
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. shower — to wash
  18. mate — to breed
  19. season — in sport
  20. shower — rain
  21. mate — a partner
  22. content — happy
  23. season — of the year
  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