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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 120 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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. ground — a position
  3. board — to get on
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. cap — a hat
  6. ground — the earth
  7. rock — music
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. cap — a lid
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. content — the amount
  12. cap — of ice
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. ground — crushed
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. content — happy
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. rock — a stone
  20. board — a committee
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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