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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. rush — hurry
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. charge — electricity
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. charge — a price
  7. snap — to click
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. content — the amount
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bass — low music
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. date — the fruit
  19. charge — in control
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. content — happy
  23. bass — the fish
  24. rush — a thrill

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