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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bulb — for light
  10. content — the amount
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. track — a song
  16. bulb — for light
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. track — to keep track
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. sharp — clever
  21. track — a path
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. bulb — of a plant

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