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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 116 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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. dip — to sink
  6. wind — moving air
  7. content — happy
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. club — for dancing
  11. squash — the sport
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. sharp — clever
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. club — a group
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. wind — moving air
  18. squash — to crush
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. content — the amount
  24. sharp — exactly

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