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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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Word bank
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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. clip — to cut
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. key — in music
  12. clip — a video
  13. key — the most important part
  14. kid — child
  15. kid — to tease
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. clip — for paper
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. content — the amount
  21. mark — a trace
  22. content — happy
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. mark — a grade

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