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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  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. mug — a face
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a match
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. content — happy
  6. hand — in cards
  7. suit — in cards
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. suit — clothes
  10. key — in music
  11. hand — help
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. suit — to fit
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. key — for a lock
  17. key — the most important part
  18. mug — to rob
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. mug — a cup
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. lash — to lash out
  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