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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. tear — from crying
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. tear — to rip
  9. scale — size or range
  10. squash — the sport
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a song
  13. content — the amount
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. squash — to crush
  17. scale — in music
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. track — a path
  20. content — happy
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. tear — from crying
  24. fall — to drop

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