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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. clip — for paper
  4. net — in sport
  5. content — the amount
  6. bark — to shout
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. clip — to cut
  10. net — after costs
  11. pit — in a race
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. clip — a video
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. content — happy
  21. net — for catching
  22. pit — a hole
  23. wake — a trail
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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