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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. march — music
  4. rock — music
  5. spring — the season
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. content — the amount
  9. cap — a hat
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. cap — a lid
  12. march — the month
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. content — happy
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. march — the month
  19. deal — to handle
  20. cap — of ice
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — a coil
  24. snap — to click

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