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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 felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. content — the amount
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. staff — a stick
  9. deal — to handle
  10. pop — to visit
  11. cold — an illness
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. branch — a division
  14. staff — employees
  15. cold — not warm
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. pop — music
  18. content — happy
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. staff — employees
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. vault — a safe
  24. pop — soda

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