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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 116 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. cell — a phone
  3. content — happy
  4. cell — in biology
  5. fine — high quality
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. fine — all right
  8. bank — for money
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. bank — for money
  13. snap — to click
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. content — the amount
  21. wake — a trail
  22. pass — a permit
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. bank — of a river

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