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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. 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. snap — to snap out of it
  2. squash — to crush
  3. cap — of ice
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. rest — what's left
  7. snap — to click
  8. squash — the sport
  9. scale — in music
  10. content — happy
  11. rest — a break
  12. lean — thin
  13. cap — a hat
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. scale — size or range
  16. content — the amount
  17. mug — a face
  18. lean — to bend
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. mug — a cup
  21. mug — to rob
  22. rest — what's left
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. 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