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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. cap — of ice
  3. rule — government
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. vault — a safe
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — employees
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cap — a hat
  16. rule — a law
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. content — happy
  19. staff — a stick
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. content — the amount
  24. racket — a loud noise

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