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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to click
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. content — happy
  7. content — the amount
  8. chair — a leader
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rule — a law
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. track — a path
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. pit — a hole
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. rule — government
  18. track — a song
  19. wax — to grow
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wax — for sculpting
  22. pit — in a race
  23. wax — in the ear
  24. track — to keep track

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