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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 116 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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. content — the amount
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. pop — to visit
  6. last — final
  7. mug — to rob
  8. content — happy
  9. pop — soda
  10. key — the most important part
  11. last — finally
  12. snap — to click
  13. last — to go on
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. mug — a cup
  16. mug — a face
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. key — for a lock
  19. pop — music
  20. key — in music
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. bowl — a football final

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