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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. net — after costs
  4. kid — child
  5. kid — to tease
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. season — in sport
  10. root — of a plant
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — happy
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. pit — a hole
  15. season — of the year
  16. root — of a word
  17. pound — a weight
  18. net — in sport
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. pit — in a race
  23. root — the cause
  24. pound — for dogs

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