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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 116 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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. land — ground
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. kid — child
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. wind — moving air
  8. kid — to tease
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. content — the amount
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. bore — to tire
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. wind — moving air
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. land — a country
  20. bore — to drill
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. land — to come down
  23. sharp — clever
  24. content — happy

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