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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 120 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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. mine — for digging
  7. shower — rain
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. foot — a measure
  13. current — of water
  14. shower — to wash
  15. current — happening now
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. content — the amount
  21. current — electric
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wake — a trail
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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