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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  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. press — a publisher
  2. content — happy
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. press — newspapers
  6. content — the amount
  7. bulb — for light
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. bulb — for light
  10. ball — a dance
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mark — a trace
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. kid — to tease
  16. mark — a grade
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. ball — a great time
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kid — child
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. press — to push
  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