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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: content · lean · snap · cell · board · spell · chest · can

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. content — the amount
  3. lean — thin
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. chest — of your body
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. can — to be able to
  8. cell — a phone
  9. can — a tin
  10. spell — letters
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. cell — in biology
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — magic
  15. can — a tin
  16. board — a committee
  17. lean — to bend
  18. snap — to click
  19. content — happy
  20. chest — of your body
  21. board — to get on
  22. chest — a box
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. content — videos and posts

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