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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. pop — soda
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. chest — a box
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. firm — decided
  8. pop — music
  9. mine — for digging
  10. pop — to visit
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. chest — of your body
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. content — happy
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. lean — to bend
  18. firm — a company
  19. content — the amount
  20. firm — steady
  21. lean — thin
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. snap — to click
  24. chest — of your body

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