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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. spell — a short time
  3. can — to be able to
  4. content — the amount
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. spell — magic
  8. chair — a leader
  9. lean — thin
  10. can — a tin
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. chest — of your body
  16. can — a tin
  17. chest — a box
  18. lean — to bend
  19. spell — letters
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. chest — of your body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. arm — part of the 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