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

Word bank: deal · mark · lash · cabinet · content · row · pound · stick

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. row — a line
  6. deal — to handle
  7. content — the amount
  8. row — to paddle
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. pound — a weight
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. mark — a trace
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. mark — a grade

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