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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. content — happy
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. rule — government
  15. scale — in music
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. rule — a law
  22. content — the amount
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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