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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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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  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. content — happy
  2. pop — soda
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pop — to visit
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. rock — music
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. pop — music
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. saw — the tool
  15. rock — a stone
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  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