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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. content — the amount
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bear — the animal
  8. rash — hasty
  9. can — a tin
  10. rash — a series
  11. can — to be able to
  12. saw — the tool
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. can — a tin
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. bat — the animal
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. bear — the animal

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