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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.

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: hand · content · ruler · mine · dip · staff · suit · snap

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  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. snap — to click
  2. hand — in cards
  3. suit — to fit
  4. mine — for digging
  5. content — the amount
  6. hand — help
  7. suit — clothes
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. staff — employees
  10. dip — to sink
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. staff — a stick
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. staff — employees
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. content — happy
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. suit — in cards
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. dip — to dunk
  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