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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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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. saw — the tool
  3. suit — clothes
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — to paddle
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. club — for dancing
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. game — wild animals
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. game — a match
  15. content — happy
  16. club — for golf
  17. saw — the tool
  18. suit — to fit
  19. row — a line
  20. club — a group
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. suit — in cards
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. snap — to click

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