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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. tear — from crying
  3. cue — for pool
  4. tear — from crying
  5. content — happy
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. march — the month
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. content — the amount
  14. march — music
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. date — the fruit
  17. cue — a hint
  18. ground — a position
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. cue — a signal
  21. ground — the earth
  22. tear — to rip
  23. march — the month
  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