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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. rest — a break
  4. content — the amount
  5. hand — in cards
  6. content — happy
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. cue — for pool
  9. rest — what's left
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. chest — of your body
  13. hand — help
  14. chest — of your body
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. cue — a hint
  17. wake — a trail
  18. rest — what's left
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. bound — tied together
  21. bound — obliged
  22. cue — a signal
  23. bound — certain
  24. chest — a box

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