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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  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. snap — to click
  2. bulb — for light
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. bear — the animal
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. file — a tool
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. content — the amount
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. file — a document
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bulb — for light
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. fine — high quality
  22. fine — all right
  23. content — happy
  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