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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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. fine — all right
  3. pop — to visit
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. fine — high quality
  6. pop — music
  7. degree — temperature
  8. content — happy
  9. snap — to click
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. can — to be able to
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. can — a tin
  17. degree — from a university
  18. content — the amount
  19. can — a tin
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. degree — an amount
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. pop — soda

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