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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. craft — a skill
  3. spell — a short time
  4. cue — a signal
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. spring — of water
  7. clip — for paper
  8. date — the fruit
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — the season
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. clip — to cut
  15. spell — letters
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. clip — a video
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. cue — a hint
  20. craft — boats
  21. content — happy
  22. spell — magic
  23. cue — for pool
  24. lash — to lash out

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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