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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. snap — to click
  3. rush — hurry
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. ball — a great time
  8. cold — an illness
  9. board — a committee
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cold — not warm
  12. rock — a stone
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. ball — a dance
  15. lie — to recline
  16. board — to get on
  17. rock — music
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. content — happy
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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