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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. cue — a signal
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. game — wild animals
  6. land — a country
  7. game — a match
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — to bend
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. cue — for pool
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. content — happy
  15. cue — a hint
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. fine — high quality
  18. wax — to grow
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. land — ground
  21. fine — all right
  22. lean — thin
  23. land — to come down
  24. lash — an eyelash

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