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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. cell — a phone
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. cell — in biology
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. bass — the fish
  10. squash — to crush
  11. pitch — completely
  12. spell — magic
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. squash — the sport
  20. spell — a short time
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. bass — low music
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. bass — the instrument

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