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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. pass — a permit
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. ground — a position
  6. sharp — clever
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. ground — the earth
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. content — happy
  11. content — the amount
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. bound — obliged
  16. stand — to bear
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. ground — crushed
  22. bound — tied together
  23. bound — certain
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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