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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. swing — in golf
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. content — the amount
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. toast — bread
  9. saw — the tool
  10. sharp — clever
  11. swing — to play on
  12. content — happy
  13. root — of a plant
  14. root — of a word
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. root — the cause
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. swing — music
  22. saw — the tool
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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