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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. staff — employees
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. content — happy
  9. rule — government
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. wake — a trail
  12. staff — a stick
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. rule — a law
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. content — the amount
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. snap — to click
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. dip — to sink

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