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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. mark — a trace
  4. toast — bread
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. rest — a break
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. content — the amount
  10. cold — not warm
  11. bore — to drill
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. cold — an illness
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. content — happy
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bore — to tire
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. mark — a grade
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. rest — what's left

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