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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. sharp — clever
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. wound — an injury
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. hand — in cards
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. shower — to wash
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. shower — rain
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. land — ground
  16. land — to come down
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. land — a country
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. content — the amount
  24. content — happy

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