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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 120 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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. band — a music group
  4. mate — a friend
  5. wax — to grow
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. content — happy
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. mate — to breed
  10. sharp — clever
  11. band — a ring
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. content — the amount
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. rest — a break
  20. rest — what's left
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. content — videos and posts

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