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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. pop — soda
  4. content — happy
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. pop — music
  7. pound — a weight
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. chair — a leader
  11. snap — to click
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. rest — a break
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. rest — what's left
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. rest — what's left

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