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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. squash — to crush
  4. spell — magic
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. track — to keep track
  7. track — a path
  8. game — a match
  9. track — a song
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. spell — letters
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. perch — the fish
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. spell — a short time
  19. kick — in football
  20. game — wild animals
  21. squash — the sport
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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