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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. band — a music group
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. key — the most important part
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. content — the amount
  11. fine — all right
  12. pitch — completely
  13. bear — the animal
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. key — for a lock
  16. lean — to bend
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. key — in music
  19. snap — to click
  20. bear — the animal
  21. content — happy
  22. lean — thin
  23. fine — high quality
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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