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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. wake — a trail
  4. scale — size or range
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. vault — a safe
  7. rock — a stone
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. content — the amount
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. rock — music
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. field — farmland
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. field — a subject
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. content — happy
  18. field — for sport
  19. scale — in music
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bore — to drill

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