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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. wind — moving air
  8. content — the amount
  9. squash — to crush
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. wind — moving air
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. drill — a practice
  14. drill — the tool
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. squash — the sport
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. content — happy
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. drill — army training

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