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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 120 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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. spell — magic
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. file — a document
  6. content — happy
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. bass — low music
  12. spell — a short time
  13. content — the amount
  14. file — a tool
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. bass — the fish
  18. spell — letters
  19. ball — a dance
  20. ball — a great time
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. file — a line of people

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