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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. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. fine — all right
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. field — farmland
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. content — happy
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. sharp — clever
  16. field — a subject
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. field — for sport
  19. date — the fruit
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. fine — high quality
  23. content — the amount
  24. sharp — with an edge

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