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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: snap · date · dip · net · lash · safe · content · charge

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. charge — electricity
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. charge — in control
  5. charge — a price
  6. snap — to click
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. content — happy
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. content — the amount
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. date — the fruit
  16. net — in sport
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. net — for catching
  19. dip — to sink
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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