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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 shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. chest — of your body
  3. content — the amount
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. content — happy
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. cue — a signal
  8. cue — for pool
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. snap — to click
  12. chest — a box
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. chest — of your body
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. lie — to recline
  17. rush — hurry
  18. mug — a cup
  19. mug — to rob
  20. cue — a hint
  21. mug — a face
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. row — to paddle
  24. row — a line

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