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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. game — a match
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. bass — the fish
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. pit — in a race
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. pit — a hole
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. content — happy
  14. land — to come down
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. land — ground
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bear — the animal
  22. land — a country
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. game — wild animals

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