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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. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — a whip stroke
  2. hand — help
  3. pop — soda
  4. pop — music
  5. pop — to visit
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. hand — in cards
  10. sharp — clever
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. content — happy
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. bark — to shout
  18. plane — a tool
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. content — the amount
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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