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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. content — the amount
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. squash — the sport
  11. present — the time now
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. wind — moving air
  14. present — a gift
  15. content — happy
  16. bass — the fish
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. squash — to crush
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. present — there
  22. bass — low music
  23. wind — moving air
  24. content — videos and posts

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