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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. band — a ring
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. content — happy
  5. cap — a hat
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. present — there
  9. snap — to click
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. charge — electricity
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. present — the time now
  15. content — the amount
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. charge — a price
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. band — a music group
  20. cap — a lid
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. charge — in control
  23. cap — of ice
  24. rush — hurry

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