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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. content — happy
  4. content — the amount
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. rush — hurry
  7. plane — a tool
  8. ball — a dance
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. face — to confront
  11. march — music
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. face — part of the head
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. hand — help
  18. ball — a great time
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. hand — in cards
  21. face — to point toward
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. march — the month

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