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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. degree — an amount
  5. branch — a division
  6. rock — a stone
  7. capital — a city
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. snap — to click
  13. degree — temperature
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. content — happy
  16. content — the amount
  17. capital — money
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. rock — music
  21. degree — from a university
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. vault — a safe

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