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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. present — a gift
  3. bulb — for light
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. foot — a measure
  6. hand — help
  7. present — there
  8. content — happy
  9. bulb — for light
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. snap — to click
  12. staff — employees
  13. hand — in cards
  14. present — the time now
  15. staff — a stick
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. content — the amount
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. bulb — of a plant

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