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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 116 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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. craft — a skill
  4. content — happy
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. mark — a trace
  7. craft — boats
  8. capital — money
  9. ball — a dance
  10. content — the amount
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mark — a grade
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. ball — a great time
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — in music
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. capital — a city
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. craft — a handicraft

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