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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. hand — in cards
  3. face — to confront
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. bank — of a river
  6. charge — a price
  7. bank — for money
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. face — to point toward
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. deal — to handle
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bank — for money
  15. hand — help
  16. face — part of the head
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wound — an injury
  19. charge — in control
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. charge — electricity
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. content — the amount

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