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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. foot — a measure
  5. mark — a grade
  6. hand — in cards
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. squash — the sport
  10. rush — hurry
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. squash — to crush
  15. mark — a trace
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. content — happy
  21. content — the amount
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — part of the body

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