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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. shower — rain
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. last — finally
  7. prune — to trim
  8. hand — in cards
  9. rock — a stone
  10. swing — in golf
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. last — to go on
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. content — the amount
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. prune — to trim
  17. content — happy
  18. hand — help
  19. swing — music
  20. shower — to wash
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. rock — music
  23. last — final
  24. lash — an eyelash

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