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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bear · content · snap · ball · rash · last · swing · cabinet

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. content — the amount
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. last — finally
  6. bear — the animal
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. swing — music
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — a series
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. bear — the animal
  15. swing — in golf
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a dance
  18. swing — to play on
  19. content — happy
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. last — final
  22. last — to go on
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. bear — to put up with

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