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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. content — happy
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. staff — employees
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — a short time
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. charge — in control
  10. band — a music group
  11. staff — a stick
  12. charge — a price
  13. charge — electricity
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. staff — employees
  17. land — to come down
  18. content — the amount
  19. snap — to click
  20. band — a ring
  21. land — ground
  22. land — a country
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. spell — letters

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