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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. squash — the sport
  4. squash — to crush
  5. chest — of your body
  6. plane — a tool
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. pop — music
  9. chest — of your body
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. pop — to visit
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. chest — a box
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. bear — the animal
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. rush — hurry
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. rush — a thrill

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