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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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 snap out of it
  3. scale — in music
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. rash — a series
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. file — a document
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. file — a tool
  16. content — the amount
  17. scale — size or range
  18. snap — to click
  19. rash — hasty
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. content — happy
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. file — a line of people

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