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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. content — the amount
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. content — happy
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. chest — of your body
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. rule — a law
  14. can — a tin
  15. chest — of your body
  16. snap — to click
  17. rule — government
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. can — a tin
  20. sharp — clever
  21. chest — a box
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. safe — out of danger

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