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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. present — there
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. content — happy
  6. race — the arms race
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ball — a dance
  10. rush — hurry
  11. snap — to click
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. content — the amount
  14. lean — thin
  15. race — humankind
  16. race — a contest
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. present — a gift
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. present — the time now
  22. lean — to bend
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. stem — to come from

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