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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. game — a match
  3. tear — from crying
  4. spring — the season
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. key — in music
  7. content — happy
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. tear — to rip
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. tear — from crying
  13. rock — a stone
  14. spring — of water
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. key — the most important part
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. rock — music
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. content — the amount
  22. key — for a lock
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. spring — a coil

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