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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: snap · rush · kid · content · ruler · perch · club · file

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. kid — to tease
  3. content — happy
  4. file — a document
  5. club — for golf
  6. file — a tool
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. kid — child
  10. club — a group
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. club — for dancing
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. file — a line of people
  19. rush — hurry
  20. perch — the fish
  21. snap — to click
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. content — the amount

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