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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 120 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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  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. mug — a cup
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. content — the amount
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a ring
  9. content — happy
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. mug — a face
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. track — a song
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. track — to keep track
  19. band — a music group
  20. mug — to rob
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. track — a path
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  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