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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. chip — to eat
  4. field — a subject
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. field — farmland
  11. chip — for betting
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. face — to confront
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. face — to point toward
  17. field — for sport
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mark — a grade
  20. mark — a trace
  21. face — part of the head
  22. content — the amount
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. content — happy

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