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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. drill — the tool
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. drill — army training
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. face — part of the head
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. drill — a practice
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. cell — a phone
  18. cell — in biology
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. face — to point toward
  21. content — happy
  22. content — the amount
  23. rush — hurry
  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