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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. mug — a face
  4. bank — for money
  5. last — to go on
  6. snap — to click
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. ground — a position
  10. last — final
  11. scale — size or range
  12. content — the amount
  13. ground — crushed
  14. content — happy
  15. bank — for money
  16. mug — a cup
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. last — finally
  19. mug — to rob
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. bank — of a river
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. ground — the earth
  24. scale — in music

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