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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. land — ground
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. cue — a hint
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. race — a contest
  7. cue — a signal
  8. content — happy
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. wound — an injury
  11. land — a country
  12. cue — for pool
  13. land — to come down
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. race — the arms race
  17. race — humankind
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. wound — an injury
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. content — the amount

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