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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: bat · snap · rule · ball · content · fan · toast · pop

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. pop — music
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. content — happy
  7. bat — the animal
  8. pop — to visit
  9. content — the amount
  10. pop — soda
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. rule — government
  13. snap — to click
  14. rule — a law
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. toast — bread
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. ball — a great time
  24. ball — a dance

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