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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. field — farmland
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. field — for sport
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. content — the amount
  11. rash — a series
  12. snap — to click
  13. kid — child
  14. kid — to tease
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. content — happy
  18. rash — hasty
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. field — a subject
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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