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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. scale — in music
  3. scale — size or range
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. kick — in football
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. kid — to tease
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. current — of water
  12. lie — to recline
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. current — electric
  15. content — happy
  16. date — the fruit
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. kid — child
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. current — happening now
  24. kick — with a leg

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