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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. game — a match
  4. key — for a lock
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. key — in music
  7. chip — for betting
  8. game — wild animals
  9. chair — a leader
  10. content — the amount
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. content — happy
  13. object — a thing
  14. key — the most important part
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. chip — to eat
  18. chest — a box
  19. object — an aim
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — of your body
  23. object — to protest
  24. chair — to sit on

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