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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  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 — an eyelash
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — help
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. content — happy
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. bat — the animal
  9. last — final
  10. content — the amount
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. ball — a dance
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. ball — a great time
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. last — finally
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. last — to go on
  21. chest — a box
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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