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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. content — happy
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. bound — tied together
  7. spell — a short time
  8. spell — letters
  9. present — a gift
  10. bound — certain
  11. present — the time now
  12. ground — a position
  13. bound — obliged
  14. ground — crushed
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. content — the amount
  18. shower — to wash
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. present — there
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. ground — the earth
  23. shower — rain
  24. lash — to lash out

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