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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. squash — the sport
  3. fall — the season
  4. squash — to crush
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. fall — to drop
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. fall — to drop
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — a break
  14. shower — to wash
  15. rest — what's left
  16. shower — rain
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. squash — the vegetable

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