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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. last — final
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fork — in a road
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. last — to go on
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. content — happy
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. object — an aim
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. scale — in music
  16. object — a thing
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. snap — to click
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. scale — size or range
  22. object — to protest
  23. last — finally
  24. content — the amount

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