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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. sharp — clever
  7. bound — certain
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. rock — a stone
  11. squash — the sport
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. content — the amount
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. bound — tied together
  16. kid — to tease
  17. content — happy
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. bound — obliged
  20. rock — music
  21. wax — to grow
  22. squash — to crush
  23. kid — child
  24. sharp — with an edge

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