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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. bark — to shout
  4. content — the amount
  5. toast — bread
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. chest — of your body
  8. content — happy
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. can — a tin
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. perch — the fish
  17. pitch — completely
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. chest — a box
  20. can — a tin
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. can — to be able to
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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