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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: saw · snap · pit · tube · present · can · scale · content

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. pit — a hole
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. content — happy
  5. saw — the tool
  6. content — the amount
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. tube — the underground
  9. can — a tin
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. present — there
  12. snap — to click
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — a container
  15. saw — the tool
  16. scale — in music
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. present — the time now
  19. present — a gift
  20. pit — in a race
  21. can — a tin
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. can — to be able to
  24. scale — size or range

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