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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. staff — a stick
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. dip — to sink
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. plane — a tool
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. row — to paddle
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. sharp — clever
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. row — a line
  22. content — happy
  23. staff — employees
  24. content — the amount

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