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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 120 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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. snap — to click
  3. key — in music
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. net — for catching
  7. content — happy
  8. kid — to tease
  9. can — a tin
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. kid — child
  12. content — the amount
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — in sport
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. key — the most important part
  20. stand — to bear
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rush — hurry
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. stand — on your feet

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