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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 116 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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  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. drill — army training
  2. shower — rain
  3. squash — to crush
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. shower — to wash
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. season — of the year
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. drill — the tool
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. season — in sport
  12. squash — the sport
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. drill — a practice
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  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