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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. kid — child
  4. content — happy
  5. game — a match
  6. firm — steady
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. ground — a position
  9. ground — the earth
  10. kid — to tease
  11. rest — what's left
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. rest — a break
  17. rest — what's left
  18. firm — a company
  19. game — wild animals
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. firm — decided
  24. ground — crushed

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