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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: snap · pass · drill · dip · content · cap

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. drill — army training
  5. content — the amount
  6. cap — of ice
  7. dip — to sink
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. cap — a hat
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. cap — a lid
  15. drill — the tool
  16. snap — to click
  17. drill — a practice
  18. pass — a permit

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