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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. can — a tin
  4. wind — moving air
  5. content — the amount
  6. fine — all right
  7. deal — to handle
  8. can — a tin
  9. band — a ring
  10. content — happy
  11. fine — high quality
  12. plane — a tool
  13. snap — to click
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. wind — moving air
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. can — to be able to
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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