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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. degree — temperature
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. snap — to click
  6. mug — a cup
  7. degree — an amount
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. chest — of your body
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. chest — a box
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. degree — from a university
  15. rash — a series
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. pass — a permit
  18. chest — of your body
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. content — the amount
  21. mug — a face
  22. rash — hasty
  23. mug — to rob
  24. jam — a tight spot

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