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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. lean — to bend
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. cap — a hat
  7. content — happy
  8. net — for catching
  9. wake — a trail
  10. net — after costs
  11. cap — a lid
  12. net — in sport
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. content — the amount
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. squash — the sport
  18. squash — to crush
  19. cap — of ice
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. lean — thin
  24. snap — to click

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