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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. fine — all right
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. fine — high quality
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. snap — to click
  10. scale — in music
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. content — the amount
  13. bear — the animal
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. scale — size or range
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. dip — to sink
  21. bear — the animal
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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