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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. rush — hurry
  5. snap — to click
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. content — happy
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. cell — a phone
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cell — in biology
  22. content — the amount
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. fork — in a road

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