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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. date — the fruit
  6. face — to point toward
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. tear — from crying
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. tear — from crying
  15. content — happy
  16. content — the amount
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. tear — to rip
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. face — part of the head
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. face — to confront
  24. mouse — the animal

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