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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. spring — the season
  4. key — the most important part
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. wake — a trail
  7. spring — of water
  8. present — there
  9. clip — for paper
  10. present — a gift
  11. clip — a video
  12. present — the time now
  13. clip — to cut
  14. content — the amount
  15. deal — to handle
  16. key — in music
  17. key — for a lock
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. content — happy
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. spring — a coil
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. deal — an agreement

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