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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. rock — music
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. rock — a stone
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. board — to get on
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. snap — to click
  11. content — happy
  12. chair — a leader
  13. rash — hasty
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. can — to be able to
  16. can — a tin
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. can — a tin
  19. board — a committee
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. rash — a series
  22. content — the amount
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. rock — to move gently

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