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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 124 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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. land — ground
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. cell — a phone
  6. land — to come down
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. bass — the fish
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. cell — in biology
  17. land — a country
  18. lie — to recline
  19. bass — low music
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. content — happy
  22. date — the fruit
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. lie — an untruth

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