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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  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. snap — to click
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. charge — a price
  5. scale — size or range
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. can — to be able to
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. charge — electricity
  10. can — a tin
  11. bulb — for light
  12. charge — in control
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. bulb — for light
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. scale — in music
  21. content — happy
  22. content — the amount
  23. can — a tin
  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