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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 116 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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. content — happy
  3. content — the amount
  4. spell — letters
  5. pop — music
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. root — of a plant
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. pop — to visit
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. lie — to recline
  18. root — the cause
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. pop — soda
  22. root — of a word
  23. spell — magic
  24. content — videos and posts

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