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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. season — of the year
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. content — happy
  6. season — in sport
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. rule — a law
  14. cell — a phone
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — certain
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. rule — government
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. content — the amount
  21. bound — tied together
  22. cell — in biology
  23. march — the month
  24. pitcher — a jug

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