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

Word bank: stick · snap · nail · content · wake · lie · cap · pit

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. snap — to click
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. content — happy
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. cap — a hat
  11. cap — of ice
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. content — the amount
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. lie — to recline
  19. pit — in a race
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. wake — a trail
  23. cap — a lid
  24. pit — a hole

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