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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. shower — to wash
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. content — the amount
  9. shower — rain
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. object — an aim
  16. mark — a grade
  17. snap — to click
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. object — to protest
  20. object — a thing
  21. plane — a tool
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. content — happy
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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