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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. lie — to recline
  6. content — the amount
  7. game — a match
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. mine — for digging
  15. content — happy
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. pop — soda
  18. pop — to visit
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. game — wild animals
  24. lie — an untruth

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