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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 120 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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. content — happy
  3. rule — a law
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. present — the time now
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. season — in sport
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. rule — government
  10. face — to point toward
  11. present — a gift
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. present — there
  16. face — to confront
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. content — the amount
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bat — the animal
  21. season — of the year
  22. face — part of the head
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. racket — for tennis

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