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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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Word bank
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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: hand · lie · court · snap · content · cabinet · wave · squash

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. court — of a king
  5. hand — help
  6. squash — to crush
  7. court — for sport
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. court — of law
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. hand — in cards
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. snap — to click
  17. content — happy
  18. content — the amount
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. squash — the sport
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. squash — the vegetable

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