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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 116 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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. ground — a position
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. chip — for betting
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. pound — a weight
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. chip — to eat
  11. content — the amount
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. tube — the underground
  14. ground — the earth
  15. tube — a container
  16. ground — crushed
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. content — happy
  20. chair — a leader
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. straw — dry grass

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