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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. spell — magic
  8. squash — the sport
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. squash — to crush
  11. land — a country
  12. spell — letters
  13. bat — the animal
  14. content — the amount
  15. vault — a safe
  16. spell — a short time
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. land — ground
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. lean — to bend
  23. content — happy
  24. lean — thin

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