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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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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 · chest · kick · cabinet · pit · coach · content · bear

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  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. bear — the animal
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. chest — a box
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. snap — to click
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. kick — in football
  10. pit — a hole
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. content — the amount
  17. chest — of your body
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. pit — in a race
  21. bear — the animal
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. chest — of your body
  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