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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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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 · content · spell · sharp · spring · pop · mark · march

  1. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. pop — to visit
  6. spell — a short time
  7. pop — music
  8. pop — soda
  9. march — the month
  10. sharp — clever
  11. spring — of water
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. spring — a coil
  14. mark — a trace
  15. spell — letters
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. snap — to click
  18. spring — the season
  19. march — the month
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. content — the amount
  22. march — music
  23. spell — magic
  24. content — happy

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