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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. mate — a friend
  3. fall — to drop
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. fall — to drop
  6. mate — to breed
  7. row — to paddle
  8. mate — a partner
  9. row — a line
  10. can — a tin
  11. scale — size or range
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. fall — the season
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. content — happy
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. content — the amount
  22. scale — in music
  23. can — to be able to
  24. can — a tin

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