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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 116 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 felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. content — happy
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. root — the cause
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. bat — the animal
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. root — of a plant
  11. pound — a weight
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. root — of a word
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. band — a ring
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. content — the amount
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. band — a music group
  24. lash — to lash out

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