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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. tube — a container
  3. tube — the underground
  4. object — a thing
  5. drill — army training
  6. drill — a practice
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. band — a ring
  13. band — a music group
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. object — to protest
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. drill — the tool
  20. content — happy
  21. content — the amount
  22. object — an aim
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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