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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. shower — to wash
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. rush — hurry
  5. content — the amount
  6. deal — to handle
  7. snap — to click
  8. shower — rain
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. content — happy
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. roll — a list
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. roll — a cake
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. wake — a trail
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. leaves — of a tree

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