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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: toast · ball · rock · scale · dip · content · chest · lash

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. toast — bread
  4. chest — of your body
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. scale — in music
  7. chest — of your body
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. ball — a great time
  13. content — the amount
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. rock — music
  16. content — happy
  17. chest — a box
  18. scale — size or range
  19. rock — a stone
  20. ball — a dance
  21. dip — to sink
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. ball — a round shape

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