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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. spell — a short time
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. charge — a price
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. suit — clothes
  10. spell — letters
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. suit — in cards
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. suit — to fit
  15. charge — in control
  16. game — wild animals
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. spell — magic
  19. charge — electricity
  20. game — a match
  21. content — the amount
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. sharp — clever
  24. racket — for tennis

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