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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 120 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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. ground — crushed
  5. net — for catching
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. net — after costs
  13. ground — the earth
  14. net — in sport
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. content — happy
  17. ground — a position
  18. mine — for digging
  19. content — the amount
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. mouse — the animal

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