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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. last — finally
  3. rock — a stone
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. tear — from crying
  6. snap — to click
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. vault — a safe
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. last — to go on
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. last — final
  14. rock — music
  15. content — the amount
  16. land — to come down
  17. land — ground
  18. land — a country
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. dip — to sink
  22. tear — to rip
  23. content — happy
  24. tear — from crying

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