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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. toast — bread
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. game — wild animals
  5. spring — the season
  6. cell — in biology
  7. bound — obliged
  8. cell — a phone
  9. bound — certain
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. spring — a coil
  12. key — in music
  13. spring — of water
  14. game — a match
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. key — for a lock
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bound — tied together
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. key — the most important part
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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