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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. season — in sport
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. capital — a city
  8. shower — rain
  9. content — happy
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. mug — to rob
  13. capital — money
  14. content — the amount
  15. mug — a cup
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. season — of the year
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. mug — a face
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. shower — to wash

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