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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. content — happy
  3. sharp — clever
  4. board — a committee
  5. bound — certain
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. board — to get on
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. ground — crushed
  12. bore — to drill
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. content — the amount
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — tied together
  18. ground — the earth
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. kick — in football
  22. ground — a position
  23. bore — to tire
  24. sharp — exactly

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