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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. content — happy
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. row — a line
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. row — to paddle
  9. chair — a leader
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. tube — a container
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. sharp — clever
  15. lie — to recline
  16. content — the amount
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. tube — the underground
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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