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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. pit — a hole
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. suit — in cards
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. row — a line
  9. pit — in a race
  10. suit — to fit
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. suit — clothes
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. wind — moving air
  17. content — the amount
  18. content — happy
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. wind — moving air
  22. row — to paddle
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. wind — to turn a key

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