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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. mug — a cup
  4. mug — to rob
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. tear — to rip
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. mug — a face
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bear — the animal
  15. spell — letters
  16. spell — magic
  17. tear — from crying
  18. dip — to sink
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. bear — the animal
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. spell — a short time

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