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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. bass — the fish
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. content — the amount
  5. clip — a video
  6. shower — rain
  7. ground — the earth
  8. craft — boats
  9. clip — for paper
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. craft — a skill
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. content — happy
  17. shower — to wash
  18. clip — to cut
  19. bass — low music
  20. ground — crushed
  21. ground — a position
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. foot — a measure

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