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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  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. pound — a weight
  2. staff — a stick
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. pit — a hole
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. staff — employees
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. content — the amount
  11. pit — in a race
  12. spell — a short time
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. staff — employees
  16. season — of the year
  17. spell — magic
  18. spell — letters
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. content — happy
  22. season — in sport
  23. lash — an eyelash
  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