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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. staff — employees
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. staff — a stick
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. staff — employees
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. content — happy
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — the amount
  17. rash — a series
  18. firm — steady
  19. rash — hasty
  20. wound — an injury
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. snap — to click
  23. firm — decided
  24. wound — an injury

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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