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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. cap — a hat
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. content — happy
  7. content — the amount
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bass — low music
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. saw — the tool
  14. last — final
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. last — to go on
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. last — finally
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — of ice

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