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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lash · ball · shower · content · rest · stick · fine · fan

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. ball — a dance
  5. fine — high quality
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. shower — to wash
  11. rest — a break
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. content — the amount
  14. rest — what's left
  15. ball — a great time
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. rest — what's left
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. shower — rain
  21. fine — all right
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fine — a penalty

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