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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. content — happy
  3. charge — in control
  4. content — the amount
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. mug — a cup
  8. game — wild animals
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. clip — for paper
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. mug — to rob
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — in music
  16. clip — to cut
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. charge — electricity
  19. clip — a video
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. game — a match
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. charge — a price
  24. mug — a face

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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