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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. spell — letters
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. content — happy
  7. clip — for paper
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. content — the amount
  11. charge — electricity
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. clip — a video
  15. clip — to cut
  16. charge — a price
  17. charge — in control
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. spell — a short time
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. plane — a tool
  23. pound — a weight
  24. lash — to lash out

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