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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. march — the month
  3. mate — a friend
  4. ball — a great time
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rush — hurry
  7. mate — a partner
  8. vault — a safe
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. content — the amount
  11. march — the month
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. mate — to breed
  16. content — happy
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. chest — a box
  20. ball — a dance
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. chest — of your body
  23. march — music
  24. chest — of your body

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