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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. content — happy
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. land — ground
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. charge — a price
  8. net — for catching
  9. land — to come down
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. charge — in control
  12. land — a country
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. charge — electricity
  16. content — the amount
  17. pass — a permit
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. shower — to wash
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. shower — rain
  22. net — after costs
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. pass — to succeed

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