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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — to turn a key
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. content — happy
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ground — a position
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wind — moving air
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wind — moving air
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. ground — crushed
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. pitch — completely
  18. content — the amount

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