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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 120 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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. spring — the season
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. mine — for digging
  5. chest — a box
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — of your body
  8. content — the amount
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. spring — of water
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. stock — goods
  13. spring — a coil
  14. rock — a stone
  15. content — happy
  16. stock — shares
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. rock — music
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. mine — belonging to me

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