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

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. squash — the sport
  3. pop — music
  4. present — the time now
  5. pop — to visit
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. pop — soda
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. squash — to crush
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. present — there
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. season — of the year
  17. present — a gift
  18. nail — on a finger

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