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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. object — an aim
  6. tear — from crying
  7. prune — to trim
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. pitch — completely
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. tear — from crying
  12. object — a thing
  13. content — happy
  14. mark — a grade
  15. mark — a trace
  16. pop — soda
  17. prune — to trim
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. pop — to visit
  20. content — the amount
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. tear — to rip
  23. pop — music
  24. lash — an eyelash

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