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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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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: chest · date · kick · pop · plane · snap · mug · content

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. chest — a box
  4. content — happy
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. chest — of your body
  7. snap — to click
  8. content — the amount
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. plane — a tool
  13. mug — a cup
  14. date — the fruit
  15. mug — a face
  16. pop — soda
  17. chest — of your body
  18. mug — to rob
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. kick — in football
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. pop — music
  24. date — on the calendar

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