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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. hand — in cards
  3. hand — help
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. track — a path
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. spring — of water
  9. track — to keep track
  10. mark — a grade
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. spring — the season
  14. content — happy
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. content — the amount
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. mark — a trace
  21. track — a song
  22. rush — hurry
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. hand — part of the body

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