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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. pop — music
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. pop — to visit
  8. content — the amount
  9. court — of a king
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. court — for sport
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. chip — to eat
  16. court — of law
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. chip — for betting
  21. pop — soda
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. lash — an eyelash

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