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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. content — the amount
  3. object — to protest
  4. object — a thing
  5. tube — a container
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. ball — a dance
  9. tube — the underground
  10. content — happy
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. snap — to click
  13. swing — in golf
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. object — an aim
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. swing — music
  20. swing — to play on
  21. ball — a great time
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. toast — bread

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