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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. content — the amount
  3. swing — to play on
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. kick — in football
  8. content — happy
  9. snap — to click
  10. bound — certain
  11. toast — bread
  12. drill — the tool
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. drill — army training
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. bound — tied together
  19. drill — a practice
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. swing — music
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. bound — obliged
  24. swing — in golf

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