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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: squash · content · snap · tube · toast · cell · chest · scale

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. snap — to click
  3. chest — a box
  4. toast — bread
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. scale — in music
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. tube — a container
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. cell — in biology
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. chest — of your body
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. squash — the sport
  17. tube — the underground
  18. squash — to crush
  19. scale — size or range
  20. cell — a phone
  21. content — the amount
  22. content — happy
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. squash — the vegetable

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